Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says his country will continue developing its own nuclear triad in the current year.

Moscow has accused Kiev of having a “provocation” in the making involving the use of an alleged dirty bomb.

A senior US military official says Washington has "no indication" Russia has decided to employ nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

There has been “no desire to listen to Russia’s position or participate in mediation efforts,” the Kremlin’s spokesman has said.

Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing a “provocation” involving the use of a “dirty bomb,” a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warns that the situation in Ukraine is rapidly deteriorating and spiraling into "uncontrolled escalation.”

Russia’s defense minister has lambasted barring Russians from entering the EU as an “act of Nazism.”

The Western-supplied weapons include long-range arms which Kiev says are beginning to help on the battlefield.

Defense Minister Shoigu ordered military units to step up their operations to prevent strikes on Russian-controlled areas.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said the country’s forces have seized full control of the residential areas of Sievierodonetsk, a key city in Ukraine's east, after weeks of fighting.