Russia POLL: Do you think Putin would actually press the nuclear button against the West?

Vladimir Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert

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In a meeting with Russia’s defence ministry and chief of general staff on Sunday, President Vladimir Putin cited aggressive western actions against Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine as the reason for potential nuclear escalation. Western nations and NATO allies have increased their sanctions including removing Russian banks from Swift, freezing the assets of Russia’s central bank, banning the country from global events and targeting elites and officials who have a close connection to the Russian government.

In a televised meeting, Putin ordered his military command to put nuclear deterrence forces on high alert.

In a statement provided by the Russian state media agency TASS, Mr Putin said: “Senior officials of the leading NATO countries also allow aggressive statements against our country, therefore I order the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff [of the Russian Armed Forces] to transfer the deterrence forces of the Russian army to a special mode of combat duty.”

He said: “Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly economic actions against our country, but leaders of major NATO countries are making aggressive statements about our country.

“So I order to move Russia’s deterrence forces to a special regime of duty.”

On Thursday, the first day of the Ukrainian invasion, Putin warned the West of “consequences greater than any faced in history” if anyone intervenes in the conflict.

He said: “Whoever tries to hinder us, or threaten our country or our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced in your history.

Russia maintains around 6,000 nuclear warheads, the most of any country in the world.

However, the majority of these are in reserves, with approximately 1,600 deployed via land, sea and air-based weapons.

Putin’s announcement does not mean Russia intends to use the weapons, but makes it easier to launch weapons quickly if needed. 

So do you think Putin would press the nuclear button against the West? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Pavel Podvig, director at the Russian Nuclear Forces Project and Senior Researcher in the WMD Programme at UNIDIR, said Mr Putin’s comments were “a very explicit nuclear threat”.

He added: “Kremlin has no good off-ramps at this point and is looking at an existential threat to the current state.

“The thing to do at this point is for everyone, literally everyone — US, NATO, NWS, NAS, NNWS, TPNW — to say forcefully and clearly that a threat of nuclear weapons is absolutely unacceptable.

“ABSOLUTELY. No nuclear d***-waving, please. This might get serious.”

Loukas Christodoulou, Sveriges Radio journalist in Sweden, mocked the Russian President.

He said: “(Putin) tried cruise missiles. Nothing. He tried paratroopers and special forces. Nothing.

“He tried to send in his Chechens. Nothing. Now he’s waving the nuclear card because he knows it’s the last one he has left.”

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The US Ambassador to the UN called Mr Putin’s remarks “unacceptable”.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation: “It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable and we have to continue to stem his actions in the strongest possible way.”

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said any use of nuclear or chemical weapons would represent an “extremely serious escalation” of the conflict.

She warned it could see Russian leaders brought before the International Criminal Court.

Her warning came after the Commons Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said in the “worst-case scenario” Putin could deploy low yield tactical nuclear weapons if his forces failed to make a breakthrough.

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