Vladimir Putin’s “military is on the retreat” as Ukrainian forces are gaining ground rapidly and a former Prime Minister has warned that the Russian leader is now “really considering” to use nuclear weapons.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk told LBC, that “Seven months ago, when Putin urged and ordered his nuclear forces to be on high alert, I said, ‘look, this is sabre-rattling.’

“This time I believe Putin is really considering an option to resort to the nukes. The rat cornered himself. Putin, he has cornered himself – there’s no off-ramp for Putin.

“His military is on the retreat, he’s losing ground, even the fact he decided to launch the partial mobilisation won’t fix the problem.

“They’re out of advanced military equipment, they started to use Soviet-style AUD to armoured vehicles and tanks, their military mood is on the down escalator.

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“Furthermore, the Washington Post actually report there is huge discontent in President Putin’s inner circle, and that’s obvious.”

He added, ” One can say he’s not under sharp criticism – not yet, because people started to talk about all these fallouts that happened in Ukraine.

“In the end, who is to be responsible for these? People will put the blame on Putin, on this war criminal.

“He’s in dire strait, he’s in a very complicate position and for him, this is both an issue of political existence and physical survival.”

Kremlin insiders have warned that Vladimir Putin will use tactical nuclear weapons to avoid a military defeat as Ukraine are making huge gains and now have their eyes set on Crimea.

Farida Rustamova, a Russian investigative journalist, was told by a Kremlin insider, “The 300,000 [conscripts] are just a distraction.

“Now it’s partial, but then there will be mass mobilisation, and after that tactical nuclear weapons.”

A member of the Kremlin elite who has previously worked closely with the Russian leader warned, “Putin always chooses escalation.

“And he will continue to choose escalation at any unpleasant juncture, up to and including nuclear weapons.”

Just last week the US President Joe Biden also warned that world is for the “first time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have a direct threat of the use of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going.

“I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.”