Vladimir Putin has hinted at a nuclear strike on the West at a cosy meeting with air stewardesses gathered around a table laden with teapots and flowers.
In contrast to the Russian president’s recent public appearances – snarling at Western leaders from the end of his metres-long Kremlin table, or distanced even from his own ministers – a relaxed Putin sat close to the Aeroflot employees as he updated them on the situation in Ukraine.
The televised appearance came as Britain advised all citizens still in Russia to leave the country, after Moscow brought in draconian new restrictions on freedom of speech and the media. The economy is also tanking under Western sanctions.
“Now we are hearing about a no-fly zone … but this is not possible,” Putin told the all-female group after Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, appealed to the West to impose one.
“Any movement in this direction will be considered a participation in an armed conflict.”
He added that imposing a no-fly zone would have “colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but also the whole world”, in a hint at a nuclear strike. He ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent on to high alert last week, amid fierce resistance to his invasion of Ukraine.
The comments on Saturday came during a visit to a training centre of Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline, ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. The day is a public holiday in Russia and the president regularly meets with female workers at such events in the run-up to the occasion.
Seated in a conference room stuffed with oversized pot plants, Putin told the women he had had the chance to inspect training simulators at the centre. “I moved some joysticks, it was really great,” he said to the dozen or so employees, many wearing their stewardess uniforms, which still feature the Soviet hammer and sickle.
Putin also denied reports that he was about to impose martial law on Russia for the first time since the Second World War. He did not, however, rule it out.
“Martial law can be imposed … in the event of external aggression, including particular regions where military action is taking place,” he said. “We are not in such a situation and I hope that it will not happen.”
Aeroflot meanwhile announced it would cancel all international flights, with the exception of those to Belarus, in the face of sanctions.
With Russia’s borders closing and relations with the West deteriorating to their worst since the grim days of the Cold War, commentators have said that a new Iron Curtain is descending across Europe.
“If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
But Britons living in Moscow said that the few flights still servicing Russia were booked out and finding escape routes was more and more difficult. European countries have banned Russian planes and European airliners have cut flights to Russia.
One Briton who has lived in Moscow for around 20 years told The Telegraph that some expats were staying, but that most were trying to escape.
“Those who are getting out are not sure if they will ever return,” he said from Moscow. “People are having to think about what to do with belongings and pets, and rented apartments. It’s not quite ‘last helicopter out of Saigon’ but it’s a very unsettling moment.”
There have been unconfirmed reports of some flights to Turkey and the South Caucasus being turned around before they leave Russian airspace and of Russia’s land borders closing.
Thousands of Russians living in the larger cities are also fleeing. The rouble has lost around 25 per cent of its value, interest rates have doubled, the Moscow stock market has been closed for a week and Russia’s banks have been dropped from the international Swift payment system.
Sanctions damage business in Russia
Russian and Western media, including the BBC, have halted their operations and Western manufacturers and brands have announced a boycott of Russia.
Police have detained around 7,000 people demonstrating against the invasion since it was launched on February 24. A law passed on Friday could mean a 15-year prison sentence for anybody who spreads negative views about the war. The Kremlin calls it a “special operation”, not a war or an invasion.
In Moscow, restaurants and cafes have closed and there have been reports of shortages of some medicines and of supermarkets, worried about potential food shortages, limiting what people can buy.
One Russian who has worked closely with the West for a decade said that business had collapsed since the invasion.
“It’s tense,” he said. “Almost all foreign companies have closed or have suspended business here, prices are rising and I can’t get money for the work done.
“There are ways to leave but as we have children, it is difficult for us to make a quick decision. We are trying not to panic.”
