As of: February 29, 2024, 5:10 a.m
By: Patrick Mayer
Comments
Press
Split
The inhibition threshold for the possible use of nuclear weapons in Vladimir Putin's Moscow regime is said to be much lower than communicated from Russia.
Moscow – The transatlantic defense alliance is getting bigger and (even) stronger.
Sweden's accession to NATO, including a new security policy in the Baltic Sea, is also intended to serve as a deterrent to Russia.
As a reminder not to cross the much-quoted “red lines” while the war in Ukraine continues brutally.
Russia under Putin: Low inhibition threshold for the use of nuclear weapons?
Said deterrence is primarily directed against the autocratic ruler in the Moscow Kremlin, the warmonger Vladimir Putin.
There are great concerns about his imperialism, which violates international law.
At the end of February, for example, a politician from Moldova warned of the next Russian annexation under Putin.
While Russia will invest record sums in its arms industry in 2024, the inhibition threshold for the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons is said to be lower than communicated by the Kremlin.
This emerges from a report by the
Financial Times (FT)
, which refers to allegedly leaked secret documents.
Moscow ruler: the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin.
© IMAGO/Alexander Kazakov
Would Russia use tactical nuclear weapons?
Secret papers leaked
The information cannot be independently verified.
Experts who checked and verified the documents confirmed the authenticity of the documents, writes the
FT
.
Tactical nuclear weapons are weapons that are used on the battlefield at relatively close range and are fired from missiles other than ICBMs.
They can presumably cause entire regions to be contaminated with nuclear radiation.
These are, so to speak, “small” atomic bombs.
“If Russia's desired results cannot be achieved by conventional means, the hurdle to using nuclear weapons is, according to the secret documents, very low,” Alexander Gabuev, director of the non-governmental organization
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
in Berlin, told the newspaper: “This is the first “It’s the first time that such documents have become public.”
Nuclear weapons: warheads of Russia and the USA and the world at large
Country: |
operational nuclear warheads in 2023: |
entire Arsenal 2023: |
Russia |
4489 |
5889 |
USA |
3708 |
5244 |
China |
350 |
410 |
France |
290 |
290 |
Great Britain |
225 |
225 |
Pakistan |
165 |
170 |
India |
160 |
164 |
Israel |
90 |
90 |
North Korea |
25 |
30 |
in total: |
9576 |
12,512 |
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Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), as of July 2023
Russia's nuclear weapons: Sergei Lavrov threatened with a nuclear arsenal
According to the
FT,
the reasons given in the documents for a possible nuclear strike include, for example, the landing of enemy troops on Russian territory or a feared enemy attack on Russia with conventional weapons.
Since the papers are said to be ten years old, there is apparently no mention of Ukraine as a scenario.
How far would Moscow really go?
According to the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),
Russia had 4,489 operational nuclear warheads in 2023.
When it became known in the summer of 2023 that NATO wanted to equip the Ukrainians with F-16 fighter jets, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened to use nuclear weapons.
“We have informed the nuclear powers – the US, the UK and France – that Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons.
No amount of assurances will help here,” said Putin’s confidant at the time: “The mere fact that the Ukrainian armed forces have such systems will be viewed by us as a threat from the West in the nuclear field.” (pm
)