Putin's spy chief warns West against direct military conflict with Russia

FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin attends the opening ceremony of a monument to civilians killed during World War Two, in the Leningrad Region, Russia January 27, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/Pool/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's spy chief warned the West on Wednesday that it risked disastrous consequences if the United States and its European allies stoke a direct military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.

Moscow has criticised a decision by Washington to let Ukraine use U.S. missiles to strike into Russia, and on Tuesday Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks.