the putin has been remarkably restrained; 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused the West of pushing Russia to its ‘red lines’ and made chilling threats to lift restrictions on Russian missile deployment.

The tyrant president told a meeting of defence officials that Moscow was watching the US development and potential deployment of short and medium-range missiles with concern.

He said Russia would lift all of its own voluntary restrictions on the deployment of its own missiles if the US went ahead and deployed such missiles.

Putin, who said Russian forces in Ukraine has taken control of 189 settlements so far this year, said Russia’s nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.

Last month, Putin decided to hit war-torn Ukraine with a never-before-seen hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile, called Oreshnik.

The Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) triggered a series of explosions in the city of Dnipro, with the attack coming less than 24 hours after Ukraine reportedly struck targets in Russia’s Kursk region with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Pieces of the nuclear-capable weapon were found scorched and shredded on the ground in a hangar at a facility which conducts weapons forensics in the Ukrainian city.

Ukraine said the weapon reached a top speed of more than 8,000mph as it headed towards Dnipro on November 21.........