"No one in their right mind would suggest that Russia could use nuclear weapons, but we see the war moving into a phase where Putin has nothing to lose and could use everything at his disposal. I don't know if he would use nuclear weapons but it will be very bad if the international community is caught by surprise if that happened. So, there should be preparedness for such an option as well." This is what Ivaylo Kalfin, former foreign minister, former deputy prime minister and former social minister, has told BNR.

"Obviously, Putin's ideas are to expand the territory of Russia. Bulgaria should no longer be neutral here," he added. According to him, the referendums in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are held not to be recognized, but to justify the actions of the Russian president when these parts of Ukraine are declared Russian territory. According to Kalfin, Russia has lost a huge part of its influence in international relations.