There has been repeated warnings the Moscow could use nuclear weapons to defend their territories from Ukrainian attacks in the annexed regions of Ukraine.

The sham voting in the four regions of eastern Ukraine will end on Tuesday in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia which will undoubtedly be illegally joining the Russian Federation.

Once this happens then Moscow can in their terms legally defend the four regions with “all available means,” which includes the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Once Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are part of the Russian Federation then overnight there will be sharp fears there will be an escalation if Ukraine continues with their counteroffensive.

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The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the votes will have “radical” legal implications and that the so-called referendums “will also have consequences for security,” once again referring to real serious threats that nuclear weapons could be used to defend their new territories.

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev warned on Tuesday the Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary.

Medvedev warned, “I want to remind you — the deaf who hear only themselves: Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary.”

More worryingly Medvedev’s warning over the use of nuclear weapons is a very different one to previous warnings, as he has correctly predicted that NATO will never risk a nuclear war and defend Ukraine should they be nuked.

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council said, “I believe that NATO would not directly interfere in the conflict even in this scenario.

“The demagogues across the ocean and in Europe are not going to die in a nuclear apocalypse.”

However, Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, told CBS on Sunday that the US are prepared to respond in the event Moscow launches a nuclear missiles, but they stopped short of providing any details apart from saying, this will have “catastrophic consequences” for Russia.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview that Ukraine have taken this threat very seriously for the first time and they are preparing for a nuclear strike.

Podolyak asked in an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick, “…Where exactly should we evacuate people in the event of a Russian nuclear strike against Ukraine?”

He said, “That is why the use of nuclear weapons is a question of global security – this is no longer just about Ukraine.”