The Kremlin was rocked by the assassination of one of its top military commanders in Moscow in December, sparking fears that Vladimir Putin could be next on the hit list but any attempt to do so could

Volodin said merely discussing a plot to assassinate Putin was path to nuclear war and that Carlson's comments should be investigated further. State news agency Tass reported that Russia's parliament will appeal to U.S. Congress and the U.N. to investigate the claims.

The think tank said that Russia is planning on making incremental gains along the front over the next nine months.

President Donald Trump says his administration has already had “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” action toward ending the grinding conflict.