RUSSIA has asserted its right to use nuclear weapons in its conflict with Ukraine, which began more than a month ago.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and the deputy chairman of the country’s security council, stated that Moscow could respond to an adversary using conventional weapons.

Russia has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, with approximately 6,000 nuclear warheads.

“We have a special document on nuclear deterrence,” Medvedev said on Saturday. This document clearly states the grounds for the Russian Federation’s use of nuclear weapons. There are a few of them, and I’ll remind you of them.

“The first is a situation in which Russia is hit by a nuclear missile. The second scenario involves the use of additional nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies.

“The third is an attack on critical infrastructure, which would have rendered our nuclear deterrent forces ineffective.”

“And the fourth case is when an act of aggression is committed against Russia and its allies that jeopardises the country’s existence, even without the use of nuclear weapons, i.e. with the use of conventional weapons.”

It comes as Vladimir Putin’s defence minister stated that nuclear “readiness” was a top priority.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, declared Moscow a direct threat to the world, saying, “Russia is deliberating bragging that they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a specific country, but the entire planet.”

Mr Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons since the beginning of the war, warning that western intervention would result in “consequences you have never seen.”