Putin puts the fear of WW3 into every Russian with nationwide defence drills in desperate bid to frighten people into supporting Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin has ordered nationwide nuclear drills to prepare Russia for “armed conflict involving nuclear powers,” in an apparent attempt to sow fear among his people and gain support for his war in Ukraine.

Sirens and loudspeakers sounded in all regions of Russia’s 11 time zones during exercises that lasted two days starting on Tuesday – although many in cities such as Novosibirsk and Vladivostok heard nothing at all.

Television broadcasts were suddenly interrupted to test systems with the same message: ‘Attention, everyone! It is checked whether the warning system is ready for the population. Please stay calm!’

In some areas, schoolchildren were trained to put on gas masks, while elsewhere officials were forced into bunkers.

Experts say the tests were aimed at spreading fear among the population as Putin cracks down on domestic dissent and prepares for a possible re-election bid next year.

The exercises were organized to simulate how Russia would respond if 70 percent of its housing facilities were destroyed.

The nationwide exercise was based on the assumption of a massive nuclear attack from the West.

The tests worked as if martial law had been imposed and the Russians had undergone a full mobilization.

In Volgograd, the city formerly known as Stalingrad, two air raid shelters were used. One of them could accommodate up to 36,000 people.

“The main purpose of the exercises is to check whether we are ready for specific actions,” said Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, who oversaw the drills.

Bystanders have warned that the exercises may actually be aimed at population control, presenting the West as a nuclear threat and aggressor.

Irina Tsukerman, a national security lawyer and geopolitical analyst, and president of Scarab Rising, told Daily Express USA: ‘Putin is not seriously concerned about the possibility of a nuclear or other large-scale attack by NATO.’

She said drone attacks on buildings (by Ukraine) do not justify such major preparations across the country.

“The practice of martial law is particularly useful as Putin continues to crack down on Russia and isolate Russia from outside influence,” she told The Express.

Russia has mounted a steady censorship campaign spanning multiple industries to curb dissent during the war in Ukraine.

In September, an opposition outlet claimed that pro-Kremlin media had received a memo with guidelines on how to report on speculation. Russia may want to recruit more reservists to further its invasion.

Also last month, State Duma deputy Anton Gorelkin said Russia should consider blocking WhatsApp in Russia if the app launches Russian-language channels.

State censor Roskomnadzor added that Russia could block WhatsApp if it spreads banned information as the application prepares to launch a channel feature with more than 150 countries, likely including Russia.

Putin is now expected to announce that he will run in the upcoming March 2024 elections.

Kommersant reported this week that he was about to seek re-election for the next six years, citing unidentified sources close to the presidential administration.

Sixteen months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, support for the war remains strong on paper, although 20 percent say they are against it.

This is a nine percent drop in support since last year, based on the Gallup World Poll poll.

Researchers point out the difficulty in obtaining valid and reliable data.

“Even if the basic result can be affected by self-censorship… shifts in the trend over time show that people are willing to report changes in their opinions,” says senior regional editor Galina Zapryanova.

It was unclear whether Putin played a covert role in the exercises over the past two days.

In the event of nuclear war, Putin would be in charge of Russia’s response.

During the exercises, Kurenkov led the efforts.

This week’s simulations are designed as a planned response to the complete destruction of areas in Russia.

The scenario for the test reads: ‘In some constituent entities (regions) of the Russian Federation, as a result of emergencies or other forms of physical impact, complete destruction of life support facilities and up to 70 percent of the housing stock is possible. ‘.

It provided for ‘accidents in hydraulic structures, chemical and radiation hazardous installations’ that would result in ‘secondary hazards’.

According to the script, the Kremlin has all government structures ready for civil protection.

The document outlining Russia’s civilian nuclear defense exercise warned: ‘The risk of armed conflict escalating into local and regional wars, including wars involving nuclear powers, is increasing.

“The threat to the security of the population is posed by the risk of a possible enemy’s use of modern long-range means of defeat, as well as possible attacks with unmanned air and watercraft.”

The Putin regime had “made the decision to develop measures aimed at increasing the preparedness of the civil defense forces and means of taking measures to protect the population, material and cultural properties on the territory of the Russian Federation, including general evacuation from danger zones.’

Critics see the exercises as Putin’s regime portraying the West as an aggressor – when he started the war in Ukraine.

They fear he is fanning the threat of nuclear attack in a desperate attempt to frighten his people and support his “patriotic” agenda ahead of March’s presidential election.