In a recent announcement, Moscow has urged its citizens to join the fight in Ukraine. The call comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin vows to move atomic weapons to Belarus, in response to the West's increasing military support for Ukraine.
The Russian government has launched an advertising campaign across various media platforms, including television and social media. The campaign encourages Russians to take up arms and defend their country against what it calls "Western aggression" towards Russia.
According to sources, this is not the first time that such a campaign has been launched by Moscow. In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, similar campaigns were seen across Russia.
Meanwhile, speaking at his annual press conference on Thursday, Putin announced that he was planning to move nuclear weapons into Belarus. This decision was taken in response to what he called "the growing threat of NATO forces along our western border."
The announcement has sparked concerns among neighboring countries and Western nations. Experts warn that such a move could escalate tensions between Russia and NATO countries.
Moreover, earlier this week reports emerged that hundreds of thousands of Russians had received cold calls urging them to sign up for military service amid rising tensions with Ukraine.
While Moscow denies any direct involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists since 2014 - there have been numerous reports about Russian citizens fighting alongside separatists.
As tensions continue between Moscow and Western nations over events unfolding in Ukraine – experts fear an escalation could lead into major conflict involving nuclear powers.