Putin places nuclear umbrella over annexed Ukraine regions

It comes as Nato and Moscow conduct test nuclear exercises this week

Regions of Ukraine recently illegally annexed by Russia are under the protection of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal, the Kremlin has claimed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “all these territories are inalienable parts of the Russian Federation”, and as such were “protected”.

“Their security is provided for at the same level as the rest of Russia’s territory,” he added.