Russia’s Vladimir Putin greets children, views ‘nuclear button’ as re-election bid nears

President Vladimir Putin was shown a simulation of the “nuclear button” but declined to press it as he toured a vast exhibition of Russian achievements in what looked like a warm-up for an imminent re-election campaign.

Putin on Monday was given an explanation of a Soviet nuclear bomb design and shown a mock control panel for launching a nuclear test, before observing images of a blast and mushroom cloud through a viewing window.

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Putin has frequently reminded the West of the size and capabilities of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, saying anyone who tried to launch a nuclear attack against it would be wiped from the face of the Earth.

He has deployed tactical nuclear missiles in Belarus and shifted Russia’s stance on two major arms treaties, while insisting that Moscow is not recklessly “brandishing” atomic weapons or changing its doctrine on their use.

Putin is expected this month to confirm that he will run for another six-year term in March, and Monday’s appearance had a distinct pre-election feel.

He was shown with a group of schoolchildren writing a message on a giant whiteboard about his hopes for their future, and selecting from among wishes that children had pinned to a Christmas tree in the hope he could make them come true.