A leading chemical and biological weapons expert who is a former British Army Colonel has warned that Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine to “stave off defeat.”

Not long after the war started on 24 February Putin warned NATO and it’s allies that any interference with his war will “lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.”

Putin then gave the order on TV to two generals to put Russia’s nuclear arsenal on “high alert” which still remains so today.

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Former British Army colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told Express.co.uk, “The nuclear issue is huge and growing.”

He added, “Soviet doctrine, which the Russians seem to be following, allows local commanders to use tactical nuclear weapons to stave off defeat, which is looking increasingly likely in some areas.

“NATO should make clear to Putin that if its sees these tactical nuclear weapons being moved they will be taken out by long range missiles even if they are still in Russia.”

Putin recently told an audience in Moscow, “From a military point of view, there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve the set goals.

“The main purpose of Russian nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack.”

However the former British Army Colonel dismissed Putin’s claim and said it was a “hollow statement.”

De Bretton-Gordon said, “Putin said […] he did not need nuclear weapons to win in Ukraine which is looking more and more like a hollow statement, as his troops are now being attacked from all sides including behind.”

Speaking about the ongoing situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant De Bretton-Gordon agreed with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the situation is “out of control.”

Grossi warned, “Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated.”

He added, “If an accident occurs at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, we will not have a natural disaster to blame – we will have only ourselves to answer to. We need everyone’s support.”

De Bretton-Gordon warned, “The contamination from an accident or attack here could cover vast areas of Russia and Europe for years.”

A nuclear expert warned that should there be a radiation leak at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia it could hit Crimea, regions of Russia including Turkey within hours.

Olga Kosharna, an expert in nuclear energy and nuclear safety who has worked at the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine warned if there was a radiation leak it would hit Turkey within 23 hours.