DERANGED despot Vladimir Putin is delivering his annual state of the nation speech amid fears he is eyeing up a fresh invasion in Europe.

It comes just two weeks before a sham election that is set to hand the tyrant another six years in power.

At the start of his speech, the dictator insisted he will be focusing on the domestic agenda.

He then claimed to have the “overwhelming support” of the Russian population for what he called the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Kremlin puppet spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin personally worked on the content of the speech and has “dozens of phone and face-to-face contacts” with officials.

He is delivering his annual state of the nation to both houses of the Russian parliament.

It is the first time in several years Western journalists have been invited – but have they have not bene allowed in the hall itself.

At least 17 cinemas in Russia are screening the address free of charge and it is being aired on giant advertising screens in Moscow.

In last year’s rambled speech, Putin accused the West of trying to start a “global” war and made a veiled nuclear threat.

And while his speech was a near two-hour diatribe, the central message was clear – he blames the West for the war in Ukraine.

It comes as Putin is all but certain to be elected for a fifth time in March after two already brutal decades of his iron-fist rule.

The aging dictator, 71, has been in power since 1999 – and re-election would keep him in power until at least 2030.

As Putin continues to cement his power in Moscow, it is feared he is on the brink of another Hitler-style land grab as a breakaway region of Moldova has called on Russia for “protection.”

The Russian-controlled enclave of Transnistria, which shares a border with Ukraine begged Moscow for help against “pressure” from Chișinău.

The move came from pro-Russian officials who feared the region could become a new flashpoint in Russia’s war with neighbouring Ukraine.

Meanwhile, leaked Russian military files have revealed Putin is much closer to unleashing a nuclear strike than ever feared.

The bombshell papers reveal what it would take for Putin to hit the red button – including an invasion by China.

Sabre-rattling Putin has repeatedly made chilling nuke threats – including vowing to wipe the UK off the map for supporting Ukraine.

The cache outlines in what scenarios Putin would trigger a nuclear response.

Despite Putin cozying up to Xi Jinping, the files reveal Russia’s eastern military district has rehearsed how a Chinese invasion could unfold.

Unrelated to the China war games, the files say an enemy landing on Russian soil or an imminent enemy attack using conventional weapons could also spark a nuclear response.

Meanwhile, the explosive papers also reveal a nuke could be deployed in the case of a defeat of units responsible for securing border areas.