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As his forces have lost ground on the battlefield in Ukraine since September, Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated the conflict, ordering the call-up of hundreds of thousands of reservists, proclaiming the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory and repeatedly threatening to use nuclear weapons to protect Russia.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he doubted Putin would use a nuclear weapon.
Putin is a “rational actor who has miscalculated significantly”, President Biden said in a CNN interview, saying he believed the Russian president wrongly expected his invading troops to be welcomed.
Asked how realistic he believed it would be for Putin to use a tactical nuclear weapon, Mr Biden responded: “Well, I don’t think he will.”
NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday the military alliance had not noticed any change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
But in Poland, the government has rolled out stations to give out free iodine tablets to schools, city halls and fire stations.
The move was accelerated by fears Russian attacks by the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plan now occupied by Russian forces.
While the tablets are not being distributed to all Poles yet, some people are rushing to shops to get more.
Błażej Poboży, undersecretary of state in Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration said: “This is preparation in the event of a nuclear power plant accident.
“Tablets containing the so-called ‘stable iodine’ are intended to block the thyroid gland from possible exposure and from absorbing bad, radioactive iodine, which is released after a possible disaster at a nuclear power plant.
“At the moment, there is no real threat of radioactive contamination, but we want to be prepared even for the impossible variants.”
READ MORE: Putin allies erupt over missile attack cost
The International Atomic Energy Agency has been pushing for a demilitarised security zone around the plant, Europe’s largest, which remains close to the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the plant and the facilities around it, risking a nuclear accident.
The plant was recently forced to use emergency diesel generators after a power line supplying the plant was cut again, UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
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