Russia orders 'all officials to fly families home' over prospect of global war

Berlin: Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have ordered his politicians and high-ranking officials to call back their relatives living abroad apparently over a prospect of global war.

According to a report in Daily Mail, administration staff, regional administrators, lawmakers and employees of public corporations have been instructed to immediately take their children out of schools in foreign countries.

The warning came after Putin cancelled a trip to France following French President Francois Hollande’s accusation that Syrian forces committed a 'war crime' in Aleppo with the backing of Russian air strikes.

The cancellation of Paris trip is a “serious step... reminiscent of the Cold War,” Russian foreign policy analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said.

The move also came days after Moscow moved nuclear-capable missiles near the Polish border, which according to Polish officials is a matter of “highest concern.”

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has also said that the world is at a “dangerous point” because of the rising tensions between Russia and the United States.

However, Russian political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky said that the warning was “all part of the package of measures to prepare elites to some 'big war'.”

Tensions between the US and Russia escalated following the fallout of a ceasefire in Syria. Russia has also been accused by the US of supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to win the US election, an accusation denied by Russia.