Putin ally Kadyrov calls for 'using low-yield nuclear weapons' in Ukraine

In the wake of Russian troops' withdrawal from the strategic town of Lyman, the leader of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, called for using "low-yield" nuclear weapons on the battlefield amid mounting pressure on the Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons as Russian army continues to face defeats in Ukraine, according to CNN.

"I do not know what the Defense Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but in my personal opinion, we need to take more drastic measures, including declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons. There is no need to make every decision with the Western American community in mind," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel.

The Chechen leader also slammed the Russian generals amid the withdrawal of Russian forces from the strategic town of Lyman and said that it is about time for Kremlin to take drastic measures.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia's president between 2008 and 2012, also discussed nuclear weapons earlier last week and wrote on his Telegram channel, "If the threat to Russia exceeds our established threat limit, we will have to respond ... this is certainly not a bluff."

After Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, concerns have sparked globally that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons.

On Friday, Putin formally announced the annexation of four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and claimed that "this is the will of millions of people," media reports said.

Putin said the residents in the four annexed regions will now be Russia's "citizens forever".

While denying seeking revival of the Soviet Union by the said annexation, Putin accused Western states - which have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Moreover, in a strong statement, Putin also added that Russia would now defend its new territory "with all the means at its disposal."

Following Putin's announcement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country is submitting an "accelerated" application to join the NATO military alliance.

"We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO," reported Al Jazeera quoted Zelenskyy as saying.

Russia's annexation sparked wide criticism from around the world. The western leaders condemned it, termed it "illegal" and vowed that they will "never recognize" these areas.

The United States announced that it will impose a "swift and severe cost" on Russia.

The Biden administration official said they are "targeting additional Russian government officials and leaders, their family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials, and defence procurement networks, including international suppliers supporting Russia's military-industrial complex" through announcements from the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State, according to CNN.