Russia's president, speaking at a pro-Kremlin youth camp at a lake near Moscow, said "it's best not to mess with us," adding "I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers"
Vladimir Putin raised the spectre of nuclear war with the West on Friday as he defied international condemnation over his decision to send thousands of Russian troops and heavy armour into Ukraine.
Accused by Europe and Nato of launching a full-scale invasion of eastern Ukraine, the Russian leader boasted to a group of Russian youngsters that "It's best not to mess with us."
In language not seen since the height of the Cold War, he told his audience: "Thank God, I think no one is thinking of unleashing a large-scale conflict with Russia. I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers."
Mr Putin's comments, made during a visit to a pro-Kremlin youth camp on the banks of a lake outside Moscow, will horrify Western governments as they try to bring Russia into check. Even during the height of Cold War hostilities, few Kremlin leaders ever resorted to the direct mentions of Russia's nuclear arsenal.
He made his remarks as European leaders prepare to gather tomorrow for an emergency summit to discuss further sanctions on Moscow over the appearance in the last few days of more than 1,000 regular Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
The soldiers are believed to be the backbone of a lightning counter-offensive that has seen pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine claw back large swathes of territory from Ukrainian government forces in recent days, dramatically turning the tide in the four-month conflict.
A major battle is expected in the port city of Mariupol in coming days, where Ukrainian forces are dug in in anticipation of a full-scale assault by rebels backed by the Kremlin's forces. The escalation in the conflict is the most serious since the pro-Russian uprising began, and has dashed Western hopes that the sanctions on the Kremlin had forced it to gradually abandon its support for the rebels.
On Friday, Poland accused Russia of waging a full-scale "war" in eastern Ukraine, while Germany warned that the conflict was spiralling "out of control". Speaking after a special emergency summit to discuss the crisis, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary general, said Russia could no longer pretend that it did not have "direct" involvement in the conflict.
In his comments to the youth group in Friday, Mr Putin defended Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula last March, claiming it was essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian government aggression.
"Russia is far from being involved in any large-scale conflicts," he said at the camp on the banks of Lake Seliger. "We don't want that and don't plan on it. But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression towards Russia.
He also alleged that Russians in eastern Ukraine were now subjected to "crude military force" from government planes, tanks and artillery, and criticised the Kiev government's decision to seek European Union membership.
"If those are contemporary European values, then I'm simply disappointed in the highest degree," he said, comparing Ukraine's military operations in the east of the country with the Nazi siege of Leningrad in World War Two.
"Small villages and large cities surrounded by the Ukrainian army which is directly hitting residential areas with the aim of destroying the infrastructure ... It sadly reminds me of the events of the Second World War, when German fascist ... occupiers surrounded our cities."
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China and Russia conduct military drills together in Northern China
Footage shows military aircrafts and tanks firing at simulated targets in mountainous areas near a training base in the Inner Mongolia region.
State media reported that the joint exercise named 'peace mission-2014' runs until 29 August and the aim of it is to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The drill involves drones, air defence missiles, tanks and armoured vehicles to simulate a strike against a separatist organisation that is attempting to split the country.
