This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen carrying Russia's nuclear briefcase just moments before delivering a heated speech declaring "real war" against the West, as confirmed by RadarOnline.com.

Over a year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the 70-year-old leader was spotted in Moscow on Tuesday with the country's nuclear briefcase. Putin was attending this year's Victory Day commemoration at Moscow's Red Square, marking Russia's triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.

However, the Russian leader's ten-minute Victory Day speech, in which he fiercely criticized NATO and vowed "real war" against "the Western globalist elite," was the most striking aspect of the event.

Putin said on Tuesday, "Civilization again finds itself at a decisive, critical moment. A real war has again been launched against our motherland." He continued, "It looks [the West] has forgotten the consequences of the Nazi striving for world domination. They have forgotten who destroyed that monster, that absolute evil, who it was who stood up to protect their native land and did not begrudge their lives to liberate the peoples of Europe."

Accusing the Western globalist elite of asserting their exceptionalism and fostering divisions within societies, Putin further argued, "They are provoking bloody conflicts and coups, they are sowing hatred, Russophobia and aggressive nationalism, they are destroying traditional family values that make a human a human."

As previously reported by RadarOnline.com, this year's Victory Day parade in Moscow was described as the "smallest ever" due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In contrast to previous parades that showcased Russia's full military strength, including tanks, armored vehicles, jets, and troops, this year's event only featured a single Soviet-era tank from 1948.

Ukrainian Ministry Advisor Anton Gerashchenko commented on the parade, saying, "The parade in Moscow didn't have any modern tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, or aviation. It was one of the smallest in Russian history, taking less than 10 minutes."

Putin also reportedly shortened his speech on Tuesday over concerns about a potential assassination attempt on his life.