Putin Considered Nuclear Readiness During Crimea Crisis

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated in a documentary about the annexation of Crimea that he was prepared to declare nuclear readiness during the Crimea and Ukraine crisis. In a segment of the documentary "Crimea: The Path to the Motherland," aired on Sunday, March 14, he said he was "ready to do this" regarding the nuclear readiness announcement by Russia. He mentioned that he was uncertain about the possibility of military intervention by Western countries in response to the annexation of Crimea but was "prepared for the worst-case scenario." Putin stated that many foreign leaders had called him to ask him to stop Russia's operations in Crimea, but he told them, "Crimea is part of our historical territory, and the Russians living there are in danger, and we will not abandon them." The Russian president added that his response was "clear and straightforward" and that no country was "ready to start a world war." The documentary portrays the annexation of Crimea as a planned and successful operation by Russian security forces and a decisive response to concerns about the fate of Crimea and its people following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych's government in Ukraine. Putin claimed that as a result of the violent "revolution" by forces aiming to control the central government in Ukraine, Yanukovych's life was in danger. He said, "It was clear to us, and we had information about the plans of those who staged the coup to arrest and physically eliminate him." Referring to a quote attributed to Joseph Stalin, he said, "As a historical figure said: eliminating one person means eliminating the problem." Yanukovych's sudden decision in November 2013 to cancel an agreement with the European Union and strengthen ties with Russia led to severe protests in Kyiv, known as the "Euro Maidan" demonstrations. Yanukovych fled to Russia after losing control of the government in February 2014. Vladimir Putin said Russia's actions saved Yanukovych and his family and described it as a "good deed." Parts of this documentary were aired on March 5. Following Putin's ten-day absence from public view and speculation about it, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesman, said the Russian leader would watch the film on March 24. The film was aired in the first year of the controversial Crimean referendum on March 16, 2014, to confirm the annexation of the region to Russia. Many countries deemed this referendum illegitimate and condemned the annexation of Crimea. The UN Security Council declared it illegal by a majority vote.