China's military spokesman accused the US of increasing the risk of nuclear war by developing and deploying tactical nuclear weapons, lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and promoting nuclear proliferation through the US-UK-Australia trilateral security partnership. The spokesman also criticized the AUKUS alliance, which involves the sharing of nuclear propulsion technology by the US with Australia. In contrast, China maintains a purely defensive nuclear stance and has a strict no-first-use policy.

Moscow has made a decision on how to proceed in the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine, but the decision is not yet known. President Putin will hold a TV speech followed by an announcement by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The parliaments of the Luhansk and Donetz People's Republics have requested their government to launch referendums about the republics' accession to the Russian Federation. The Russian parliament introduced amendments to the Russian Criminal Code which will increase the prison penalties for 'voluntary surrender', 'looting', 'non-fulfillment of military orders' during a time of mobilization, martial law and war. If the LNR and DPR vote to become part of Russia, and if Russia accepts it, any attack on them will be an act of war against Russia. The 'Special Military Operation' would thus change into something way more serious. Russia could declare the conflict to be a war and use its full arsenal against Ukraine and those who support it with weapons and other war material.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday, stating that Russia is entering an era of tectonic changes as a powerful and sovereign country. He also discussed the global crisis, the end of the unipolar world, and the emergence of a new world order. Putin emphasized that the rules of the new world order will be created by those who aren't moving along a path set out by others.

Scott Ritter presents a detailed legal argument for the legitimacy of Russia's use of military force in the Donbas region. He argues that Russia's joint operation with Lugansk and Donetsk constitutes a regional security organization and that the Russian-speaking population of Donbas had been subjected to a brutal bombardment. Additionally, Russia claims that the Ukrainian Army was preparing for a massive military incursion into the Donbass, and Ukraine's intent regarding nuclear weapons has yet to be proven or disproven. Ritter concludes that Russia has set forth a cognizable claim under the doctrine of anticipatory collective self-defense, and knee-jerk conclusions about Russia's military intervention being a violation of the UN Charter are unfounded.