Vladimir Putin has chillingly revealed what could spark a "full-scale World War III" following his election victory.
On Sunday (March 17), the 71-year-old leader - who was a former KGB lieutenant colonel - cemented his grip on power, claiming another six-year term as Russian president.
According to the latest figures from Russian authorities, which were reported by Politico, Putin's tally stood at 87.3 percent after 50 percent of ballots counted.
The result means that he will rule until at least 2030, securing a third full decade of rule and making him the nation's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
The newly-reelected leader - who first rose to power in 1999 - made unsettling comments in response to a recent statement by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The 46-year-old told French outlet Le Parisien that he could not rule out the deployment of ground troops in Ukraine in the future, stating: "Maybe at some point - I don't want it, I won't take the initiative - we will have to have operations on the ground, whatever they may be, to counter the Russian forces."
Asked about the French leader's remarks and the possibility of a conflict between Russia and NATO, Putin said: "Everything is possible in the modern world," as cited by Reuters. "It is clear to everyone, that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War Three. I think hardly anyone is interested in this."
The Russian President said that NATO military personnel were present already in Ukraine, saying that Russia had picked up both English and French being spoken on the battlefield, and adding: "There is nothing good in this, first of all for them, because they are dying there and in large numbers."
He went on to say he hoped Macron would stop seeking to aggravate the war in Ukraine: "I've been saying it over and over again and I'll say it again. We are for peace talks, but not just because the enemy is running out of bullets," he said, per Daily Mail.
"If they really, seriously, want to build peaceful, good-neighborly relations between the two states in the long term, and not simply take a break for rearmament for 1.5-2 years," Putin added.
As reported by BBC News, Putin's communist party candidate Nikolai Kharitonov managed little more than 4% of the vote and his fellow candidates even less.
In a fiery speech after he was declared the victor, Putin expressed gratitude to the citizens and vowed that Russia cannot be "intimidated," adding: "No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness -- no one has ever succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never," per France 24.
The leader also brushed off Western criticism of the elections, telling his supporters: "What did you want, for them to applaud us? They’re fighting with us in an armed conflict. Their goal is to contain our development. Of course, they’re ready to say anything," he said, as cited by The Guardian.
