Putin's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov likens the US to Nazi Germany and repeats warning that WW3 'can only be nuclear' in latest TV rant

Sergei Lavrov has repeated his warning that World War Three would be nuclear while at the same time accusing the West of fixating on his dire threats of destruction.

The foreign minister also compared the US to Nazi Germany in his latest rant after Russian forces seized the Black Sea regional capital of Kherson in Ukraine, its first major city after a week of fighting.

Vladimir Putin's lackey said today: 'It is clear that World War Three can only be nuclear.

Sergei Lavrov has repeated his warning that World War Three would be nuclear as he accused the West of fixating on his dire threats

Sergei Lavrov has repeated his warning that World War Three would be nuclear as he accused the West of fixating on his dire threats

'I would like to point out that it's in the heads of Western politicians that the idea of a nuclear war is spinning constantly, and not in the heads of Russians.

'Therefore I assure you that we will not allow any provocations to throw us off balance.'

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces be put on high alert, accusing the West of taking 'unfriendly' steps against his country.

Moscow has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles which form the backbone of the country's deterrence forces.

The move was followed up by comments from Lavrov yesterday in which he warned another World War would be 'nuclear and destructive'.

In separate comments today, Lavrov accused the US of trying to conquer Europe.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces be put on high alert

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces be put on high alert

The foreign minister also compared the US to Nazi Germany in his latest rant after Russian forces seized the Black Sea regional capital of Kherson

The foreign minister also compared the US to Nazi Germany in his latest rant after Russian forces seized the Black Sea regional capital of Kherson

He told Sky News: 'Napoleon and Hitler had the objective to have the whole of Europe under their control, now Americans have got Europe under their control.

'We see that the situation what role the EU is really playing in the context of the global situation, they are just fulfiling a role.

'We see that there's a picture like in Hollywood of absolute evil and absolute good and this is unfortunate. 

'I think that this hysteria will end and our partners will settle down after a while and we will sit down to negotiate but only on one absolute condition and that is as equal parties.'

Lavrov has also indicated that Moscow is ready for peace talks as another meeting by Ukrainian and Russian officials is expected to take place in Belarus today.

Kherson, a city of 300,000 on the Black Sea, appears to have fallen under Russian control after the mayor said 'armed visitors' had taken over a council meeting and imposed curfews. If Putin's men are in full control then it opens up the city of Odessa, home to Ukraine's main naval port, to attack - with amphibious assault ships seen forming up near Crimea today

Kherson, a city of 300,000 on the Black Sea, appears to have fallen under Russian control after the mayor said 'armed visitors' had taken over a council meeting and imposed curfews. If Putin's men are in full control then it opens up the city of Odessa, home to Ukraine's main naval port, to attack - with amphibious assault ships seen forming up near Crimea today 

A force of around a dozen Russian vessels including landing ships is massing off the coast of Crimea today, with experts saying an assault on Odessa could come later in the day

A force of around a dozen Russian vessels including landing ships is massing off the coast of Crimea today, with experts saying an assault on Odessa could come later in the day

Ahead of the meeting, he told reporters in Moscow that Russia will press its military action in Ukraine until achieving its goals, chiefly the 'demilitarisation of Ukraine' but added that it will be up to Ukrainians to choose what government they should have.

Talks are expected to be held in the Brest region of Belarus, which borders Poland.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier Wednesday that his country was ready for talks to resume, but he noted that Russia's demands hadn't changed and that he wouldn't accept any ultimatums.

He has accused the West of continuously arming Ukraine, training its troops and building up bases there to turn it into a bulwark against Russia - claiming it justifies the military operation.

The US and its allies have insisted that NATO is a defensive alliance that does not pose a threat to Russia. And the West fears Russia's invasion is meant to overthrow Ukraine's government and install a friendly government. 

The city of Kherson is seen on Wednesday, with Russian forces seemingly in control. Kherson is the first major city to fall to the Russians

The city of Kherson is seen on Wednesday, with Russian forces seemingly in control. Kherson is the first major city to fall to the Russians

Russian tanks and a military truck are seen rolling through the streets of Kherson on Wednesday

Russian tanks and a military truck are seen rolling through the streets of Kherson on Wednesday

Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities, remained under a heavy bombing campaign overnight with missiles striking civilian areas - including a train station in the Ukrainian capital being used to evacuate people from the city and as a shelter for those who cannot or have chosen not to leave.

Chernihiv, in the north west, and Mariupol, in the south, also remain under Ukrainian control despite being all-but surrounded by Russian forces and coming under heavy bombardment. 

The mayor of Mariupol said Thursday that Russian artillery fire has been so intense that they cannot even remove wounded people from the streets.

Vadym Boichenko accused the Russians of doing 'everything to block the exit of civilians' including blowing up the city's trains, leaving people stranded before the artillery opened fire. 

Evacuations continued elsewhere, however, with the UN estimating that 1million people have now fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries.

Ukraine estimates that 2,000 civilians have been killed in fighting. The UN has confirmed 227 of those but said the true toll is likely far higher. War crimes prosecutors have opened a case into the deaths.

 

Meet Putin's loyal attack dog: Gruff Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was wheeled out to issue dire warnings of nuclear war, is a career civil servant who 'bankrolled his secret mistress and owns property worth hundreds of millions of dollars'

By David Averre for MailOnline 

Russia's Foreign Minister, the gruff and sarcastic Sergey Lavrov, has become a notorious figure in recent weeks amid the invasion of Ukraine

For many, Russia's top diplomat likely represents Putin's harbinger of doom, remarking today that World War III will be 'nuclear and destructive' in a thinly-veiled threat to NATO and the West.

But although Lavrov is tasked with delivering his President's messages to the world with a brutal, no-nonsense style seldom associated with a negotiator, he is much more than just Putin's mouthpiece.

The 71-year-old's diplomatic career has spanned half a century, meaning the straight-talking senior has lived and worked through the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union - watching as his country's relations with the West went from near-friendly to the brink of nuclear war and back again.

Like many top Russian officials and oligarchs, Lavrov became the target of personal sanctions implemented by the EU when relations plummeted to a new low as Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border.

But he is thought to own hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of property and other assets, and a report published last year revealed that Russia's No1 diplomat has bankrolled the careers and personal lives of a secret mistress and her friends and family to boot. 

Russia's Foreign Minister, the gruff and sarcastic Sergey Lavrov, has become a notorious figure in recent weeks amid the invasion of Ukraine

Russia's Foreign Minister, the gruff and sarcastic Sergey Lavrov, has become a notorious figure in recent weeks amid the invasion of Ukraine

For many, Russia's top diplomat likely represents Putin's harbinger of doom, delivering the President's messages to the world with a brutal, no-nonsense style seldom associated with a negotiator. But at age 71, Lavrov is more than just Putin's mouthpiece (Lavrov (L) pictured with Putin (R) in 2019)

For many, Russia's top diplomat likely represents Putin's harbinger of doom, delivering the President's messages to the world with a brutal, no-nonsense style seldom associated with a negotiator. But at age 71, Lavrov is more than just Putin's mouthpiece (Lavrov (L) pictured with Putin (R) in 2019)

His diplomatic career has spanned half a century, meaning the straight-talking senior has lived and worked through the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union - watching as his country's relations with the West went from near-friendly to the brink of nuclear war and back again (Lavrov pictured in 2000 as Russian ambassador to the UN)

His diplomatic career has spanned half a century, meaning the straight-talking senior has lived and worked through the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union - watching as his country's relations with the West went from near-friendly to the brink of nuclear war and back again (Lavrov pictured in 2000 as Russian ambassador to the UN)

US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov embodies the Kremlin's defiant posture as the country's top diplomat with a mixture of toughness and sarcasm

US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov embodies the Kremlin's defiant posture as the country's top diplomat with a mixture of toughness and sarcasm

Lavrov has for years weathered endless waves of speculation that he was on the verge of retirement, instead becoming one of the longest-lasting members of Putin's Cabinet and a perennial figure among a constantly churning cauldron of foreign counterparts.

The diplomat became Russia's foreign minister in 2004, making the length of his tenure in the position second only to that of Dr. No - the infamous Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko - and prior to that served as Russia's chief ambassador to the UN for 10 years.

Born in Moscow to a Russian mother and Armenian father in 1950, he began his diplomatic career back in 1972 after graduating from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), when he was dispatched to serve as lowly Soviet advisor in Sri Lanka.   

But Lavrov excelled and by 1981 had been made a senior advisor at the Soviet mission to the UN in New York during one of the most intense periods in the Cold War.

A younger Lavrov was a far less serious character - he was among one of MGIMO's keenest amateur dramatics enthusiasts, performing in various plays and sketches put on by the university, and was known for his love of chatting to journalists and putting on skits with fellow diplomats during his time as UN ambassador.  

Those days are long gone, though. 

Since becoming foreign minister, Lavrov's demeanour has steadily hardened and he now paints the picture of an impatient and irritable man who no longer enjoys his work and does not suffer fools easily.

In recent years his remarks directed at foreign counterparts have been derisive and laced with aggression, and he has developed a reputation for his angry diatribes at Western governments.

In 2008, Lavrov famously responded to a reprimand from then British Foreign Secretary David Miliband by snarling: 'Who are you to (expletive) lecture me?', and just last month snapped that talks with Liz Truss were like a 'conversation between the deaf and the dumb' before abandoning her at the dias.

Like his boss, Lavrov has tapped into broad public nostalgia for the country's Soviet-era clout, and has often depicted the US as arrogant, conceited and bent on world domination, while dismissing the UK and European leaders as yes men obediently toeing Washington's line.

And at age 71, Lavrov looks visibly bored by the daily routine of diplomacy.  

He no longer bothers to hide his irritation at a naive or provocative question when sat in front of the media, often responding with an air of contempt or plain mockery, and harbours a particular distaste for photographers, showing clear annoyance at the clacking of camera shutters.

Russian Federation Ambassador Sergey Lavrov smokes while walking to a UN Security Council meeting about Iraq in November 1998. Before becoming the foreign minister, he served as Russia's ambassador to the United Nations for 10 years and was known for his enjoyment of chatting to the media and putting on skits with other diplomats

Russian Federation Ambassador Sergey Lavrov smokes while walking to a UN Security Council meeting about Iraq in November 1998. Before becoming the foreign minister, he served as Russia's ambassador to the United Nations for 10 years and was known for his enjoyment of chatting to the media and putting on skits with other diplomats

Lavrov became Russia's foreign minister in 2004, making the length of his tenure in the position second only to that of infamous Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko - known as Dr. No - and prior to that served as Russia's chief ambassador to the UN for 10 years (pictured in 2010)

Lavrov became Russia's foreign minister in 2004, making the length of his tenure in the position second only to that of infamous Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko - known as Dr. No - and prior to that served as Russia's chief ambassador to the UN for 10 years (pictured in 2010)

Like his boss, Lavrov has tapped into broad public nostalgia for the country's Soviet-era clout, and has often depicted the US as arrogant, conceited and bent on world domination, while contemptuously dismissing the UK and European leaders as yes men obediently toeing Washington's line

Like his boss, Lavrov has tapped into broad public nostalgia for the country's Soviet-era clout, and has often depicted the US as arrogant, conceited and bent on world domination, while contemptuously dismissing the UK and European leaders as yes men obediently toeing Washington's line

Lavrov just last month snapped that talks with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (L) were like a 'conversation between the deaf and the dumb' before abandoning her at the dias

Lavrov just last month snapped that talks with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (L) were like a 'conversation between the deaf and the dumb' before abandoning her at the dias

Outside of diplomacy, Lavrov has followed the example set by his boss and gone to great lengths to keep his personal life private.

But Russia's top diplomat has been embroiled in a controversy surrounding a woman believed to be his longtime mistress, Svetlana Polyakova.

A report published last year by anti-corruption publication iStories and the official website of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny alleged that Lavrov, who has been married since 1971 with a child and a pair of grandchildren, took Polyakova abroad more than 60 times on 'diplomatic missions' and bankrolled her luxury lifestyle. 

Polyakova, who has held a position in the Russian Foreign Ministry since 2014, has travelled with Lavrov to France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, Azerbaijan and Greece to name a few destinations, and used the foreign ministry's plane frequently in the last eight years.  

Some of the trips included luxury holidays and visits to opulent houses and yachts - among them a ship owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska - with the couple, in some instances, joined by Polyakova's mother, daughters, and niece.

Lavrov's mistress has also engineered senior appointments for friends and family within the foreign ministry, appeared publicly alongside President Vladimir Putin and has been named among his elite entourage. 

The report found that Polyakova was so close to the foreign minister that her contact information was often listed as 'Svetlana Lavrova' - with some government officials believing she was Lavrov's wife. 

The investigation also uncovered Polyakova's extraordinary wealth and family properties across Russia and the UK worth $13.6billion. 

The mistress also owns at least $545,000 in luxury cars, including a Mercedes worth around $250,000.

Though this is likely a paltry sum for Lavrov, who is thought to own hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of property and other assets. 

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (centre) reportedly took his millionaire mistress Svetlana Polyakova (right) abroad more than 60 times on 'diplomatic missions' and bankrolled her luxury lifestyle

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (centre) reportedly took his millionaire mistress Svetlana Polyakova (right) abroad more than 60 times on 'diplomatic missions' and bankrolled her luxury lifestyle

Polyakova appeared alongside Lavrov at St Sergius of Radonezh Russian orthodox church in December 2014 and has since shared an opulent lifestyle with the foreign minister

Polyakova appeared alongside Lavrov at St Sergius of Radonezh Russian orthodox church in December 2014 and has since shared an opulent lifestyle with the foreign minister

Little is known about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's wife Maria (left) and daughter Ekaterina (centre)

Little is known about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's wife Maria (left) and daughter Ekaterina (centre) 

The controversy surrounding Russia's top diplomat was revealed by anti-corruption publication iStories and the official website of Alexei Navalny, one of the Kremlin's most prominent critics who is currently in jail near Moscow

The controversy surrounding Russia's top diplomat was revealed by anti-corruption publication iStories and the official website of Alexei Navalny, one of the Kremlin's most prominent critics who is currently in jail near Moscow 

In the present day, Lavrov is one of Russia's most recognisable figures amid the conflict in Ukraine, delivering statements and justifications for Russia's 'special military operation' while denouncing the actions of Western powers. 

Yesterday, he was barred from flying to Geneva to attend a UN conference after European Union members banned Russian planes from their skies as part of bruising sanctions against Moscow.

Lavrov denounced what he called the 'outrageous' move in a video address to the UN session, accusing EU member states of 'avoiding a candid face-to-face dialogue or direct contacts designed to help identify political solutions to pressing international issues.'

'The West clearly has lost self-control in venting anger against Russia and has destroyed its own rules and institutions, including respect for private property,' Lavrov raged. 

'It's necessary to put an end to the arrogant Western philosophy of self-superiority, exclusivity and total permissiveness.'

But Western diplomats from dozens of nations walked out of the conference room as Lavrov's message began to play, in effect saying 'nyet' to him and Russian diplomacy.

In the present day, Lavrov is one of Russia's most recognisable figures amid the conflict in Ukraine, delivering statements and justifications for Russia's 'special military operation' while denouncing the reactions of Western powers

In the present day, Lavrov is one of Russia's most recognisable figures amid the conflict in Ukraine, delivering statements and justifications for Russia's 'special military operation' while denouncing the reactions of Western powers

While both allies and adversaries may respect his professionalism, Lavrov has been criticised by some for toeing the Kremlin line rather than directing his own foreign policy.

Rex Tillerson reportedly said in 2017, while US secretary of state: 'You cannot tango with Lavrov because he is not allowed to dance.' 

Recent events have shown this to be the case, as Lavrov's speeches and media addresses appear resemble more and more the echoes of Putin's rhetoric. 

Asked once what it takes to be a diplomat, Lavrov said the key qualities were being 'erudite' and having a good knowledge of history, adding that was important to understand the psychology and the positions of fellow negotiators across the table.

As the 50-year veteran of diplomacy moves into the final stages of his career, his counterparts are likely questioning whether Lavrov still subscribes to these ideas. 

 

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