Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday evening that Russia does not completely rule out the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. Asked by Amanpour under what conditions Russian President Vladimir Putin might decide to deploy them, Peskov said: “If there is an existential threat to our country, it could happen.”
Peskov’s words have been classified as “dangerous” by the American government, partly because it is not clear what Putin can see as an “existential threat”.
In recent years, Russia has spoken of “threats,” referring, for example, to both the socalled “NATO eastward enlargement,” a process of enlargement of the alliance based on the voluntary membership of some former Soviet states; and on the very existence of Ukraine, arguing that it is a separate entity running an “antiRussian project”. There is therefore a fear that the Russian government might classify a particular threat as “existential” when it is not.
In general, however, it is not the first time that Putin has shown himself open to using nuclear weapons against countries he sees as a threat, and in the past it had already happened that he had decided to use unconventional weapons against the civilian population (such as chemical weapons in Syria).
In recent weeks, Putin has also accused Ukraine of preparing chemical and nuclear weapons attacks on Russia in cooperation with the United States. Responding to these allegations, deemed unfounded, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda ThomasGreenfield said that “the intent behind these untruths is clear and deeply disturbing,” adding that these claims are part of a possible false flag may have been operations against Ukraine (i.e. pretending to have suffered an attack to justify an attack and presenting it as a defensive response).
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would authorize the deployment of specific equipment to Ukraine at the summit planned in Brussels and taking place on Thursday to “protect against possible chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats”. and against cyber attacks. It would be the first time since the invasion began that NATO is sending specific assistance to Ukraine to protect itself from weapons of mass destruction.
Russia has around 6,000 nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, several analysts have expressed concern about the decisions Putin may make. So far, at least, his threats have not been considered particularly credible.
Also read: How credible are Putin’s nuclear threats?