Putin claims West is trying to break up Russia into different states

Putin also said the West wants to drive a wedge between different ethnic and national groups in Russia

President Putin said the West is trying to break Russia up into states (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin has said the West is trying to drive a wedge between different ethnic and national groups in Russia.

The Russian President said on Friday the West wants to break the country into lots of different states, according to Reuters.

He added that the more sanctions the West hits Russia with, the greater the level of cohesion within Russian society.