Putin views mock nuke button as possible re-election bid nears

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin was shown a simulation of the "nuclear button" but declined to press it on Dec 4 as he toured a vast exhibition of Russian achievements in what looked like a warmup for an imminent re-election campaign.

Mr Putin 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, Mr 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.

The Russian President is expected to confirm in December that he will run for another six-year term in March, and the Dec 4 event had a distinct pre-election feel.