“We cannot rule out anything if Russia is on the verge of a catastrophic defeat," which could provoke a collapse of the Russian front, army desertions, and protests in Moscow, he said, describing possible circumstances under which Putin might resort to the extreme measures.
But as long as Russia maintains an advantage in the war, there is no possibility of using nuclear weapons.
The use of strategic nuclear weapons is an unlikely scenario because it would “almost certainly” provoke a third world war.
"He wants to live," Lytvynenko said of Putin.
Even in the event of a Russian defeat on the battlefield in Ukraine, Moscow's use of nuclear weapons would not be inevitable and automatic. Putin could try to present the situation as a “victory” to the Russian people.
Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield or in limited strikes and are less powerful than strategic weapons used to destroy cities.
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Putin has previously claimed that Russia is "militarily ready for a nuclear war," but it is unlikely that "everything is so straightforward." He also believes that the United States "actively develops nuclear forces and enhances their capabilities," while saying that he hopes that the United States "is unlikely to be ready to start a nuclear war tomorrow."
On March 9, CNN reported, insights from two senior officials in the U.S. President Joe Biden administration, that Washington had “rigorously” prepared for the possibility of a Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022.
The administration’s fear “was not just hypothetical — it was also based on some information that we picked up,” an official.
“We had to plan so that we were in the best possible position in case this no‑longer unthinkable event actually took place.”
The U.S. National Security Council convened a series of meetings from late summer to fall 2022 to put contingency plans in place “in the event of either a very clear indication that they were about to do something, attack with a nuclear weapon, or if they just did, how we would respond, how we would try to preempt it, or deter it,”
On May 6, Russia's Defense Ministry reported that Putin had instructed the General Staff to prepare for exercises on the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
The tactical nuclear exercises are Russia's response to Western statements about willingness to send troops to Ukraine, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov, who specifically called out French President Emmanuel Macron, British representatives, and U.S. Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Андрій Журба
