In the wake of the war, Putin orders the nuclear deterrent forces to be placed on a "special combat alert"

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to put the nuclear deterrent forces on alert, in response to Western officials who "not only took aggressive economic steps, but their NATO official made aggressive statements against Russia."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Defense Ministry to put its nuclear deterrent forces on alert amid tension with the West over Ukraine.

The Russian President's orders came, on Sunday, during his meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Russia Today channel reported.

At the meeting, Putin directed his defense minister and chief of general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces on a "special combat alert," according to the same source.

Putin explained that this step came in response to Western officials, who "not only took aggressive economic steps, but their NATO official made aggressive statements against Russia."

The decision is a dangerous escalation of tension between East and West over Russia's military operation against Ukraine, and increases the risks of emerging tensions turning into nuclear war, according to the Associated Press.

For her part, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said on Sunday that President Vladimir Putin's order to put Russia's deterrent forces, which include nuclear weapons, on high alert is an unacceptable escalation.

"This means that President Putin continues to escalate this war in an absolutely unacceptable way and we must continue to stop his actions in the strongest possible way," she said in an interview with CBS in response to Putin's statement.

At dawn on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a military operation in the Donbass region, eastern Ukraine.

Russia's military intervention in Ukraine sparked international outrage, and the European Union imposed sanctions on high-ranking Russian officials.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of trying to install a "puppet" government (subject to Russia), and vowed that Ukrainians would defend their country against the Russian military operation.

Denmark allows volunteers to join the "international brigade" in Ukraine

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed that her country will allow volunteers to join an international brigade that Ukraine intends to form to counter the Russian invasion.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed on Sunday that her country will allow volunteers to join an international brigade that Ukraine intends to form to counter the Russian invasion, denying the existence of any "legal obstacle" to that.

"It's an option for anyone, and that certainly applies to all Ukrainians who stay here, and also to others who see themselves as being able to participate directly," the prime minister said.

"Based on our analysis, there is no legal obstacle to anyone going to Ukraine to take part in the conflict, of course on the Ukrainian side," she added.

Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister demonstrated with thousands of people in front of the Russian embassy in Copenhagen, in opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian presidency announced the formation of an "international brigade" of foreign fighters, to help Kiev repel the Russian invasion, inviting volunteers to join it, and asked them to go to Ukraine's embassies in their countries.

"The Ukrainian leadership invites all foreigners who wish to join the resistance to the Russian occupiers and protect international security, to come to our country and join the ranks of the defense forces," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.

While Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainians were brave enough to defend their country on their own, he considered that the Moscow attack "is not just a Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the beginning of a war against Europe."

“They are civilized and European.” Ukraine crisis exposes dark sides of Western racism

Comments by foreign correspondents and European politicians about Ukraine sparked widespread controversy because of their "racist" and "offensive" comments.

CBS correspondent Charlie D'Agata was forced to apologize after his comment sparked outrage on social media.

The reporter said that the invasion of Ukraine could not be compared to the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, because the war of Ukraine "is more civilized and its people are European people."

He explained that "Ukraine is relatively civilized, European, and it is a city where you do not expect war or hope that it will not happen."

Dagata later apologized and said, "I spoke in a way that I'm sorry for, I apologise," pointing out that what he meant was that Ukraine had not experienced a conflict of this magnitude in recent years, unlike other countries that suffer from constant wars.

Dagata was not alone. "Ukrainian refugees are not the ones we are used to, so we will welcome them, these are smart and educated Europeans," Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov said in a televised statement.

He continued, "They do not have a vague past, as if they were terrorists."

While the programs of the right-wing French channel BFM included a similar speech since the beginning of the Russian invasion, including descriptions such as: "We are not talking about Syrians fleeing the bombing of their regime backed by Putin, but rather about Europeans who drive cars like ours."