Some military analysts are hyping the threat of Russia deploying nuclear weapons against Ukraine, even as the nation’s defense minister rubbished the conjecture as lies.
The speculation mounted (again) after Russia withdrew its forces from two areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Saturday.
“This withdrawal would constitute the most significant Russian retreat since invading forces pulled back from the capital city of Kyiv at the end of March,” The Week reported Sunday. “A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said the withdrawn troops would be redeployed to the Donetsk region.”
This drawback and Russia’s inability to force a surrender since its February invasion have caused some analysts to suggest that a frustrated President Vladimir Putin is leaning toward using nukes to end the protracted conflict.
Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is one of the analysts pushing President Joe Biden to be more aggressive toward Russia.
“As the Ukraine war enters a crucial new phase, it is time both to step up deterrence and plan for what comes after Russian first use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” Rubin wrote in a commentary Sunday for 19FortyFive, a military-focused website.
“While it is right to celebrate the Russian rout, the war may be entering a far more dangerous phase,” he wrote.
“Consider: If Russian President Vladimir Putin tired of attrition and decided to use tactical nuclear weapons, how would Russian behavior — a rapid withdrawal and even leaving key equipment behind — be different? The answer: It would not be.”
As a reminder, Biden has imposed countless sanctions on Russia that have backfired on Europe and the United States.
Will Putin introduce nuclear weapons to the conflict in Ukraine?
He also has committed at least $54 billion to Ukraine in the past seven months and has pledged to indefinitely donate more taxpayer money to this gravy train, even as the U.S. is ravaged by crushing inflation, soaring crime and skyrocketing homelessness.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flatly rejected media speculation that his country would use nukes as propaganda being pushed by warmongering liars.
“The media are spreading speculation about the alleged use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in the course of the special military operation, or about the readiness to use chemical weapons,” Shoigu said Aug. 16 during an international security conference in Moscow.
“All these informational attacks are absolute lies.”
The defense minister underscored that Russia has nuclear weapons to deter a nuclear attack, not to use on its opponents.
“From a military point of view, there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve the set goals,” Shoigu said. “The main purpose of Russian nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack.”
So, will Russia use nukes on Ukraine and risk compelling direct U.S. involvement in a regional war that could escalate into World War III?
It’s unlikely, given that the end result almost certainly would be mutually assured destruction.
But could it happen? Sure.
Could you win a billion-dollar lottery? Sure! Anything is possible, as evidenced by the rapid, horrifying decay of the United States in the short time since Biden was installed in the White House.
Keep in mind that the question of Russia potentially using nukes has been bandied about for decades. To date, the United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war — and that was back in 1945.
Does anyone really know what Russia (or China or Iran) will do next? Of course not.
This is why it is crucial for our leaders — and the public — to tone down dangerous, warmongering rhetoric and act rationally, not emotionally.
