Fear in the West of Putin's reaction to his losses on the battlefield

The main concern is that the more worried the Russian president feels, the more likely he is to use unconventional weapons such as tactical nuclear weapons.

In an interview with the program "60 Minutes", President Joe Biden said that the response of the United States to any use of such weapons would be "significant", but did not provide details

news agencies

09/18/2022

Sunday, September 18, 2022, 3:58 p.m. Updated: 4:08 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

The Biden administration warned the Kremlin against the use of unconventional weapons in order to stop the momentum of the Ukrainian military in the east of the country.

In an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes," President Joe Biden said the United States' response to any use of such weapons would be "significant," but did not provide details.

The front line has been redefined after a blitzkrieg by the Ukrainian army last week that led to the withdrawal of Russian troops from the northeast.

However, the border still stretches for about 1,600 km. Ukraine is trying to take advantage of the disorder in which the Russian forces are, but for now there are no reports of further progress.

A huge mass grave was found in the city of Isium that was liberated by the Ukrainian exile (Photo: Reuters)

Russia's defense operations are now apparently limited to a small pocket in the Donetsk region, around the city of Artemovsk.

The Ukrainian army believes that the city is located in a central place that allows the transfer of equipment and the Russian army.

According to Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian forces in the area are mainly made up of soldiers from a private contracting company called Wagner Group, which has ties to the Kremlin.

These soldiers fought in Syria and Libya - countries where Russia is involved.

According to the Ukrainians, the Russians are also sending prisoners into battle due to the manpower shortage.

Teams of Ukrainian investigators began to disperse in the region and collect evidence of war crimes.

According to senior officials, at least ten torture cells were found, two of them in the city of Laklia, one of them in a police station.

Against the background of the losses of the Russian military in recent weeks and the growing isolation of the Kremlin in the diplomatic arena, the Biden administration warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against the use of unconventional weapons.

This is the second time Washington has issued such a warning.

In March, Biden said the United States would respond if Putin used unconventional weapons.

In an interview on "60 Minutes", Biden said that Russia's use of nuclear or other unconventional weapons to change the momentum on the battlefield in Moscow's favor "will change the face of the war in a way not seen since World War II".

Russia's two most important strategic partners, India and China, have also voiced concerns about the war in the past week.

Senior officials in the West expressed concern about Putin's reaction to the recent losses.

According to them, the more worried he feels, the more likely he is to use unconventional weapons such as tactical nuclear weapons, which can be launched from relatively short distances,

The Russian army fled and left tanks behind (Photo: GettyImages)

Putin, for his part, shows no signs of changing course.

On Friday he threatened to escalate the attacks of his forces.

At a press conference in Uzbekistan at the end of a regional summit, Putin claimed that Ukraine tried to carry out "terrorist operations" inside Russia "to damage civilian infrastructure."

According to Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, "In the north, we estimate that the Ukrainians are consolidating their gains and retaking significant territory, while the Russians are trying to maintain the defense lines after pulling back," he said on Friday.

"In the south, the Ukrainians continue a calculated movement forward while the Russians try to maintain the lines," he added.

• news

• world news

• Europe

Tags

• Joe Biden

• Ukraine

• Russia