Putin does not generate any nuclear scare propaganda, your tabloids do.

Russia and the US have agreed to dispose of excessive plutonium (used in nuclear bombs) both had. They agreed on a specific method: burning it in nuclear power stations. Russia has built a plant in 2010 to covert plutonium to fuel and a nuclear power station in 2015 to use this fuel. The US spent $7B on a plant, did not finish it, and declared it did not want to go this way, it'd rather keep plutonium "in storage". Russia in response put the agreement on hold, since the US has already violated it and threatens Russia's safety by doing that (keeps nuclear bomb material in storage, but seriously expects Russia to get rid of it).

Also, Russia does not have any "nuclear drills" today and does not "put 40 million Russians in nuclear shelters", that exists in your tabloids only. It has an emergency warning system and tests it every three months for many years already: sounds the sirens off and takes over TV and radio for a minute. This system is not even strictly nuclear, it's also for bad weather or chemical spills. Nobody goes to any shelters.