Putin orders Russia’s deterrence forces to be put on high alert

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered the Russian Defence Ministry to put the country’s deterrence forces on high alert.

“I order the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the General Staff to put the deterrence forces of the Russian army into a special mode of combat duty,” Putin said at a meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Putin also accused NATO of stepping up its aggressive rhetoric against Russia, which goes beyond the “illegitimate” economic sanctions.