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Russian families have been approved to buy gas masks by Vladimir Putin, triggering a new WW3 scare.

Gas masks were put on the restricted sales list, along with associated equipment, in 1992 after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Fears that Putin could be preparing for conflict with NATO have been brewing for several months after unsuccessful attempts to stop the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, a joint Nato operation is said to have intercepted Russian submarines attempting to destroy a vital undersea cable in the Arctic.

At a press conference, the Russian President also smirked when saying it’s a ‘military secret’ whether he will target British drone sites.

From March 1 next year, Russians will be permitted to purchase certified civilian filtering masks—including versions for children.

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Sealed protective chambers designed for babies will also go on sale.

Gas masks can protect wearers from airborne chemical agents, toxic industrial substances and biological contaminants if the correct filter is fitted.

They offer some protection against radioactive dust produced by a nuclear explosion.

Pro-Kremlin military commentator Yury Baranchik said this decision was ‘particularly relevant’ alongside the upgrading of Soviet bunkers

He said: ‘Russian citizens will be allowed to purchase gas masks for their entire family. The ban, which has been in place for over 30 years, will be lifted….

‘This is particularly relevant in the context of ongoing renovations of Soviet-era bomb shelters in several cities. Good news, especially for the West.

‘It would be beneficial to supplement this with real-world testing on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.’

Drills involving gas masks are regularly conducted even among young recruits to military training schemes.

Counterfeit, substandard, and uncertified masks will be removed from the Russian market ensure quality control, said the Emergency Situations Ministry [EMERCOM].

The move seems part of a drive by the Russian authorities to scare its own people into believing they face the threat of war from the West at a time of deep tension in Putin’s conflict in Ukraine.

The change comes as Russian authorities undertake a vast programme to restore Soviet-era civil-defence infrastructure neglected since the end of the Cold War.

EMERCOM chief Alexander Kurenkov said earlier this year that more than 20,000 shelters were being restored across 82 Russian regions.

A reported ministry assessment found that only 16 per cent of Russia’s shelters and anti-radiation refuges were fully serviceable in 2022, while 67 per cent were unusable.

Russia has earmarked some 155 billion roubles (approximately £1.35 billion) for the programme.

Baranchik also demanded ‘real-world testing’ of nuclear bombs at Novaya Zemlya.

The Arctic archipelago was the Soviet Union’s principal nuclear testing ground and the site of the 1961 Tsar Bomba explosion, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated.

Eleven months ago, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov called for ‘preparations for full-scale nuclear tests immediately’ at a meeting of the Russian security council.

‘The readiness of the forces and facilities at the central test range on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago makes it possible to carry them out within a short time frame,’ he said.

Putin did not give an immediate go-ahead but demanded ‘proposals on the possible start of work to prepare nuclear weapons for testing’.

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