Russia does not need a nuclear strike on Ukraine, there is no point, neither political nor military, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking at a plenary session of the Valdai international discussion club, Putin said that Russia disclosed intelligence data about the "dirty bomb" that Kiev is creating for a reason, and even knows approximately where it is being made; the technology available in Ukraine allows it.

"Loaded in a Point-U or somewhere else, detonated this device somewhere, said Russia did it - launched a nuclear strike. But we don't need to do that. We don't have the sense of anyone, politically or militarily," the president said.

Putin said he personally instructed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to call his foreign counterparts and warn them about the threat of a "dirty bomb" in Ukraine: "I was the one who instructed Shoigu to call all of his colleagues and inform them about this (the threat of Ukraine using a 'dirty bomb'). We can't go past such things."