Vladimir Putin Flaunts Two 'Nuclear Football' Briefcases as Tensions Between Russia and West Simmer

Vladimir Putin was caught showing off two “nuclear football” briefcases this week as the increasing tensions between Russia and the West continue to simmer, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a concerning development to come after Putin’s war against Ukraine recently entered its second winter, the 71-year-old despot was seen flaunting two “nuclear footballs” during a tour of Russian dynasty palaces.

According to Daily Star , the two briefcases trailed Putin as he showed Russian dignitaries from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan the palaces that once belonged to Catherine the Great .

Two “shady henchmen” reportedly followed the Russian tyrant as Putin attempted to curry favor with the diplomats ahead of next year’s presidential election.

The tour of Catherine the Great’s palaces this week came shortly after Putin hosted the Eurasian Economic Union and CIS summits in St. Petersburg.

Insiders who attended the two summits in St. Petersburg this week revealed that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized Putin for using the events as a “platform” to increase his political influence ahead of his presidential bid for another six years in office.

Pashinyan allegedly scolded Putin and told the Russian leader to "stop all attempts to politicize Eurasian integration.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Putin was last seen with Russia’s nuclear briefcase during a rare visit to China in October.

Footage from the surprising visit showed the Russian leader with a nuclear briefcase as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Although the briefcase is said to be “always with” the Russian leader, it is rarely filmed like it was in October in China and earlier again this week in St. Petersburg.

"There are certain suitcases without which no trip of Putin's is complete,” a Russian state news agency said earlier this year.

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Putin’s decision to put Russia’s nuclear briefcase on display has not helped the heightened nuclear tensions caused by the leader’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine – particularly after Russia's parliament recently took the first step toward revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

The nuclear treaty’s top Russian lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin , warned the U.S. in October that Moscow might abandon the pact altogether.

"We understand our responsibility to our citizens, we are protecting our country,” Volodin said at the time. “What is happening in the world today is the exclusive fault of the United States.”

"And what we will do next – whether we remain a party to the treaty or not, we will not tell them,” he added.

Putin was once again pictured with Russia’s nuclear briefcase in May just moments before declaring “ real war ” against the West.

“Civilization again finds itself at a decisive, critical moment,” Putin charged with the briefcase by his side. “A real war has again been launched against our motherland.”