Russia’s parliament erupts with threats, calls for strike on Ukraine with 'retaliation weapons'

In particular, he allowed himself to insult Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and added that Zelenskyy was "creating new problems for Ukrainians starting next week."

"Members of the State Duma (the parliament - ed) insist on the use of more powerful weapons — 'retaliation weapons' — and on achieving the goals of the special military operation," Volodin said.

It is likely that the Russian State Duma speaker’s remarks about problems for Ukraine starting next week refer to the so‑called energy ceasefire. Russia has said that the Russian leader agreed to it, but only until February 1, which falls on a Sunday.

What exactly Volodin means by "retaliation weapons" remains unclear. It can be assumed that he is hinting at nuclear weapons, which Russia has repeatedly threatened to use against Ukraine.

Russian nuclear threats

Russia has repeatedly threatened Ukraine with nuclear weapons since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to Western media, the Russian President came very close to using nuclear weapons in October 2022 amid the Ukrainian military’s counteroffensive.

In November 2024, Putin signed a new Russian nuclear doctrine. The document states that a nuclear strike could be justified in response to aggression against Russia or its allies by any non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear state.

Notably, the Russian leader resorted again to nuclear threats against Ukraine in May last year. According to him, Russia was allegedly being "provoked" into making mistakes, and he once more mentioned nuclear weapons.

Major General Illia Pavlenko told RBC-Ukraine in an interview that Russia secretly uses nuclear blackmail to influence Western countries. In one such instance, the Kremlin was able to halt aid to Ukraine.