Vladimir Putin is facing growing calls from hardliners to deploy nuclear weapons as Russia faces increasing devastation from mass Ukrainian attacks deep in the heart of the country and Crimea.
Independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported this week that a tactical nuclear strike against Ukraine – referring to weapons designed for the battlefield that carry smaller warheads – has growing support within the Kremlin. One regime insider said “the prospect of using tactical nuclear weapons is approaching”.
This month, Kremlin-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by the prominent military expert Yuri Knutov calling for the deployment of “low-yield” nuclear weapons against Ukrainian frontline positions.
Shorts
Sergey Karaganov, a former adviser to Putin and head of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy think-tank in Moscow, has gone further, calling for “limited” nuclear attacks on European countries that support Ukraine.
