Written by Shubhangi Gupta | Edited by Swati Bhasin, New Delhi
Ever since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine, there have been fears that Russian president Vladimir Putin may resort to using nuclear weapons in the war-torn country. The fears were emboldened after the Kremlin said it had placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert – shortly after announcing “special military operations” in Ukraine on February 24. In April, US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns had also warned that Russia’s setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could lead Putin to resort to using a “tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon”.
Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador in Britain Andrei Kelin – speaking to BBC on Sunday– said he didn’t believe that Moscow would use “tactical nuclear weapons” in Ukraine. The ongoing war in Ukraine is now in its fourth month. Kelin cited Russian military rules and said such weapons are not meant for conflicts like the one in Ukraine. “Russia has very strict provision for their use, mainly when the state’s existence is threatened,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the current operation,” he added.
When Putin had said he was placing the Russian nukes on high alert, it was speculated as a warning even as many doubted the move.
A senior US official – speaking to Reuters in April – had said the country did not believe that there was a threat of Russia using nuclear weapons despite a recent escalation in Moscow’s rhetoric.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had also said he did not expect any further Russian military failures in Ukraine to push Putin into using tactical nuclear weapons there.
Tactical nuclear weapons are used for inflicting devastating local damage on an enemy’s conventional forces, without causing drastic wider consequences that damage one’s own formations, a Bloomberg report said.
While Moscow has called its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” to protect the country from fascists, Kyiv and the West have called this a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression by Putin.
Thousands have died or been injured as Russia continues its onslaught on the East European country, reducing its towns and cities to rubble. Over 5 million people have reportedly fled abroad.
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