Boris Johnson has accused Russia of committing war crimes as Russian troops continue to rage war on Ukraine's cities.

The PM slammed Vladimir Putin as Downing Street claimed "horrific acts" were being carried out on an almost hourly basis as population centres were targeted.

Yesterday (Wednesday, March 2) Russian officials finally announced that 498 of their soldiers have died since they invaded Ukraine last week with the number of people wounded standing at 1,597.

Leaders said, unlike brutal Russia, they’re not at war with “captive children” as images emerged of young soldiers crying.

Prisoners of war were captured on camera sobbing, saying “we don’t want this war” and claiming they were used like "cannon fodder" by commanders, The Mirror reports.

Will nuclear war break out?

While it remains unlikely that a nuclear war will commence, the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov sent a chilling threat that a "Third World War will be nuclear, and devastating".

Due to the military doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction, a full-scale nuclear war would mean the complete collapse of both sides.

Which would make the nuclear war pointless.

But there is always a fear that it could start from a reckless miscalculation or a leader who makes bad decisions.

Is Vladimir Putin sane?

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  Topless protesters march on Russian embassy against Putin's brutal Ukraine invasion

Vladimir Putin has been in power for almost 23 years and has spent 19 years as president.

The president has spent around two years mostly secluded from the world as he shielded himself from coronavirus.

He has been advised by just a small number of close associates.

It has been reported that officials who are due to meet the Russian president were forced to self-isolate for two weeks before getting their chance.

Unconfirmed reports also claim that Putin is taking steroids, with many people saying the puffiness of his face is an indication he's on the medication.

Long periods of using steroids can affect sleep and moods.

Would he press the button?

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Despite it arguably being a low chance, Putin's televised address to the nation last week caused fear in western viewers that he had full control of his faculties.

Recently Admiral Lord West suggested the Russian President would be willing to pull the nuclear trigger claiming on LBC "he loves Mother Russia, but he actually doesn't really like Russians."

Adding: "That's the sort of feeling one has because the way he treats them is not good.

"This is a very high risk, very high risk this is because what he says is that if there's a conventional fight against NATO, and we have to make sure we've got sufficient forces in eastern European NATO countries, and if it's not going right for him, he will, as he calls it, deescalate by firing a nuclear weapon.

"He doesn't know what NATO's doctrine is, well he should do his generals do if someone fires a nuclear weapon, you fire on back."

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