Vladimir Putin: Russia was ready to use nukes to secure Crimea

The Russian bear emerged from his 10 day hibernation and has a paw on the nuclear button.

During an interview that aired this past Sunday on Russian TV, Vladimir Putin said he was ready to put his nuclear forces on alert because of the situation in Crimea.

“We were ready to do this. (Crimea) is our historical territory. Russian people live there. They were in danger. We cannot abandon them.

"We never thought about severing Crimea from Ukraine until the moment that these events began, the government overthrow," Putin said.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTqvzOBwO24]