Msocow: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that although Russia does not intend to pursue a nuclear escalation in its standoff with the West over Ukraine, others shouldn't try their patience.

Her remarks come after a flurry of alerts from senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, that the risks of a catastrophic nuclear conflict are rising due to Western military support for Ukraine.

At a routine news conference, Zakharova stated, "We will do everything to prevent the development of events in the worst scenario, but not at the cost of infringing on our vital interests.

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Nobody should question our resolve and put it to the test in real life, she advised.

The transfer of Western weapons to Ukraine and the enlargement of the NATO military alliance closer to its borders have drawn harsh criticism from Russia. This month, Finland, which has a long border with Russia, joined NATO as its 31st member. Ukraine also wants to join, but some nations are against it.

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Zakharova stated, "They (the United States) continue to willfully violate our fundamental interests, create risks, and raise the stakes in the conflict with Russia...

This week, close Putin ally and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated that a new world war was likely just around the corner.

Putin portrays the 14-month conflict in Ukraine—which he refers to as a "special military operation"—as an existential struggle with an aggressive and haughty West, and he has declared that Russia will employ all necessary means to defend itself from any aggressor.

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Russia's war in Ukraine has been denounced by the United States and its allies as an imperial land grab. Ukraine has vowed to fight until all Russian forces leave its territory and claims that Russia's use of the threat of nuclear war is an attempt to pressure the West into cutting back on military aid.