As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues longer than the Kremlin expected, various experts and government officials have expressed concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin may eventually resort to the use of nuclear weapons in desperation.
Putin began his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, and many expected the Russian military to quickly crush Ukrainian resistance. But on March 13, Viktor Zolotov, head of Russia’s National Guard, publicly acknowledged that “not everything is going as fast as we would like.” Weeks later, Russia suffered significant setbacks, including withdrawing from Kyiv, in an awkward turn for Putin.
“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the military failures they have faced so far, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by the potential recourse to tactical nuclear weapons or low-level nuclear weapons. extraction, “CIA Director William Burns said Thursday in a speech at Georgia Tech.
Burns’ warning is not a new concern for US officials. In 2018, the Defense Ministry’s nuclear position review, which documents the role of nuclear weapons and security, said Russia could use “limited first-hand” nuclear weapons in a scenario that would “de-escalate” the conflict on favorable terms. for Russia. “
If Putin uses a nuclear device, even a small tactical weapon, he does so at the risk of starting a full-blown war. In an interview with the BBC in mid-March, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Russia, using any weapon of mass destruction, could lead to a NATO response.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also warned Russia about the use of nuclear weapons.
“NATO is there to protect and defend all allies, and we are sending a very clear message to Russia that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” Stoltenberg told a news conference on March 23. “Any use of nuclear weapons will fundamentally change the nature of the conflict, and Russia must understand that nuclear war must never be fought and they can never win a nuclear war.”
As the war in Ukraine drags on, experts worry that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may eventually resort to the use of nuclear weapons in desperation. In this photo, Putin is seen walking close to a Russian fighter outside Moscow on June 17, 2010.
Despite warnings, Putin may already be under pressure to resort to such tactics as the invasion drags on. A senior US Air Force officer working on nuclear weapons told Newsweek in a previous article that the intelligence community was worried that Russia could use Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles.
“The use of nuclear weapons is unthinkable, but the Russians are becoming increasingly desperate and its main tactical nuclear system is already a proven weapon,” the officer said. “This is often a deciding factor in the mind of the decision maker – the promise of tactical success.”
Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN on March 22 that there could be situations in which Russia would justify the use of nuclear war.
“Well, we have a concept for internal security and it is public,” Peskov said. “You can read all the reasons for using nuclear weapons. So, if this is an existential threat, a threat to our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept. “
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, told The Guardian last month four situations in which Russia would be justified in turning to its nuclear arsenal.
“Number one is when Russia is hit by a nuclear missile. The second case is any use of other nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies,” Medvedev told the newspaper. “The third is an attack on critical infrastructure that will paralyze our nuclear deterrence force. And the fourth case is when there is an act of aggression against Russia and its allies that threatens the very existence of the country, even without the use of nuclear weapons, that is, with the use of conventional weapons. “
The United States has reportedly begun preparations for the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine by Russia. The New York Times reported in March that the Biden administration had assembled a team of national security officials to draw a response if Putin turned to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Efforts to end the conflict before such weapons are used are still ongoing. Bloomberg reported on Sunday that Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch and Putin’s ally, was trying to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Discussions between the two countries have stalled in recent weeks after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said Russia was targeting Ukrainian civilians and its troops were committing acts of “genocide”.
The Ukrainian leader is also among those who have publicly addressed the threat from Russia to use nuclear weapons.
Referring to Burns’ comments that he does not accept the nuclear threat lightly, Zelensky told CNN: “We should not wait for the moment when Russia decides to use nuclear weapons … We must prepare for this.
Newsweek asked the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Add Comment