"Will not organize a massacre": Putin politician surprises with commitment to nuclear weapons
Created: 09/26/2022, 04:53
A Topol ICBM that can be equipped with nuclear warheads is presented at an armaments fair.
© dpa
A Russian member of parliament from Putin's United Russia party has ruled out a nuclear first strike.
Nuclear weapons would be used "only in response".
Moscow - The Kremlin-loyal Russian member of parliament Yevgeny Popov has ruled out a nuclear first strike in the war against Ukraine.
"We will not be the first to attack the western states, we will not organize a nuclear massacre in the world," Popov of the Kremlin's United Russia party told British broadcaster
BBC Radio 4
on Wednesday .
In line with the Kremlin's official line, he said nuclear weapons would be used "only in response" to a nuclear attack against Russia.
Asked whether Russia will defend Ukrainian territories with nuclear weapons after annexing them, Popov said: "I really don't know how to answer that.
But you must know that we will defend our fatherland.” Nuclear weapons are “of course” a security guarantee.
War in Ukraine: Kremlin orders partial mobilization - Referendums not recognized internationally
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously ordered partial mobilization due to personnel difficulties in the war of aggression against Ukraine.
In addition, the internationally unrecognized "People's Republics" of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, as well as the Cherson and Zaporizhia regions in the south, which are partially occupied by Russia, are due to decide to join the Russian Federation this week.
International criticism of the Russian approach was immense.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of "sham referendums" that would not be accepted under any circumstances, US President Joe Biden spoke of a "shameless violation" of the UN Charter and an "act of desperation" by Russia.
Video: Putin: "I'm not bluffing with nuclear weapons" and confirms call-up of 300,000 reservists
Observers assume that the annexation of the Ukrainian territories is a direct reaction by Putin to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Russia had already announced several times that it would react with all severity in the event of an attack on national territory and deliberately not ruled out the use of nuclear weapons.
(dpa/fmü)
