Putin also warned the West that "it's not a bluff" that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory.
Putin's address, broadcast to the nation on September 21, comes a day after Russian-occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on being incorporated into Russia, triggering outrage and condemnations not only in Kyiv but from much of the international community.
Analysts say the Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield.
The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start on September 23 in the Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Donetsk regions.
In his address, Putin accused the West of engaging in "nuclear blackmail" and claimed, without providing proof, that "high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states" had allegedly made statements "about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia."
"To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries. When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal," Putin said, adding, "It's not a bluff."
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