Vladimir Putin threatens nuclear strike on NATO countries over hoax 'blockade' claim

Vladimir Putin threatens nuclear strike on NATO countries over hoax 'blockade' claim In a menacing diplomatic memo sent last night, Russia did not hold back and claimed Moscow has 'information that NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad' NATO has called Russia's bluff after being sent an ominous nuclear attack warning as tensions escalate. Vladimir Putin dispatched a letter threatening to unleash the weapons should it feel its Baltic territory is coming under threat. In the diplomatic memo, Moscow said it has been made aware of 'information that NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad'. In the alarming letter sent to Brussels, the Kremlin warn it "will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory", according to a document sent to member states. NATO has responded, dismissing the threat as "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" with Secretary General Mark Rutte stating he doesn't believe Putin will follow through on the latest outrageous threat. Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings. “We will defend every inch of NATO territory," he said, speaking at the Euronews Defense and Space Summit. "That threat is not there, and if anything happens, we are ready to counter it. “We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful. And particularly stop the war in Ukraine, which is an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine." Mr Rutte warned Europe must now become more "capable" of handling high-level security threats without relying so heavily on Washington. “Why are the Americans doing it, taking out the Iranian nuclear capability? Because we can't. But in the future, we have to make sure that as Europeans, we can do this ourselves,” he said. “Still, the US being involved not only in the nuclear sense but also in the conventional sense, but the Europeans taking much, much more responsibility for the defense of this part of NATO." It came after Russian embassies, including in London, accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game”. Russia has threatened to unleash “nuclear weapons” against Britain in a menacing statement from the country’s UK embassy. It also said the "prospect of a hypothetical strike" was explored in new Sky TV show The Wargame. The threats were issued as Kyiv revealed how Russian and Iran are involved in a deadly intelligence-sharing loop, with Moscow helping Tehran to target US bases in the Middle East. The Russian statement started with the bizarre reference to the recent mini-series on Sky, which features real political figures taking part in a simulated scenario responding to a Russian attack on UK soil. The statement said: "We have noted an article in The i Paper on Kaliningrad, which suggests, among other things, that NATO could blockade the region or 'de-recognise Russian sovereignty'. The prospect of a hypothetical strike is also explored in Sky News’ recent mini-series The Wargame." Sky called the show "a provocative stress test on our leaders, our institutions and the country itself," and it appears that the Kremlin has also found it provocative. On Tuesday, Estonia blamed Russia for an arson attack on a defence firm supplying uncrewed vehicles to Ukraine. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart on Wednesday confirmed Russia had sent a written, “non-paper” message to the alliance. She said NATO is not targeting Kaliningrad and had sent a reply, “noting that NATO is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia”. She said the alliance “strongly denounces the threat of force”.