Vladimir PutinHis closest advisers looked worried when he dropped his nuclear weapons bomb yesterday.
The expressions of the army general Valeri Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was caught on camera while the Russian president launched his nuclear arsenal.
A senior U.S. defense official said last night that Putin’s move “potentially brings in forces that, if miscalculated, can make things much, much more dangerous.”
Outstanding: Valeri Gerasimov (left) and Sergei Shoigu in the photo at yesterday’s Kremlin press conference
A senior White House official described it as “another escalating and completely unnecessary step.”
They said in a statement: “At every step in this conflict, Putin is making threats to justify more aggressive action.
“He has never been threatened by Ukraine or NATO, which is a defense alliance that will not fight in Ukraine.
“The only reason his forces are under threat today is because they have invaded a sovereign state without nuclear weapons.”
Max Bergman, a former State Department official, called Putin’s statements predictable but dangerous with a sword. “Things can get out of hand,” he warned.
A senior White House said in a statement: “At every step of this conflict, Putin (pictured) has made threats to justify more aggressive action.”
Last night, it was unclear whether Putin was referring to short-range or intercontinental nuclear missiles.
A U.S. study released this month suggests that despite hundreds of billions of pounds in NATO investment in recent decades, member states remain significantly vulnerable to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
It is believed that NATO’s best chance of blocking nuclear weapons is the Aegis ballistic missile defense system, which will try to blow it up from the sky.
It is mounted on US warships based in Spain for European defense purposes. The ground equivalent of the system, Aegis Ashore, is located in Romania.
The generals’ appearance at yesterday’s Kremlin press conference came just over two weeks after they told senior British officials they would not invade Ukraine.
The promise was made to Ben Wallace – who made his first visit to Moscow by the UK’s defense minister in 20 years – and Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of staff.
Russia says its most powerful nuclear missile, the 16,000-mile-per-hour hypersonic Satan-2, could hold 12 nuclear warheads and destroy the United Kingdom.
Approximately 90 percent of all nuclear warheads are owned by Russia and the United States, each with about 4,000 warheads in its military stockpile.
No other nuclear-armed state sees the need for more than a few hundred warheads for national security.
Globally, the overall stockpile of nuclear weapons is declining, but the pace of cuts is slowing compared to the last 30 years.
The cuts are only happening because the United States and Russia are still dismantling previously withdrawn warheads.
Russia has said its most powerful nuclear missile, the 16,000-mile-per-hour hypersonic Satan-2, could hold 12 nuclear warheads and destroy the United Kingdom.
The Kremlin has also significantly increased the number of atomic test launches this year – perhaps in anticipation of the conflict with Ukraine.
But last night, a former UK military intelligence officer said “we don’t have to worry right now”.
Philip Ingram said: “Russia’s nuclear capacity has been a very high priority for Western intelligence for many years. So any real change in their status is likely to be closely monitored.
“This is an attempt to deter Putin, not a statement that he has an immediate intention to use nuclear weapons.
“But you have to remember that if you threaten something, it’s only credible if you’re willing to use it.”