Putin could use nuclear weapons in case of "catastrophic defeat" in Ukraine – Ukraine's Defence Council Secretary
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), suggests that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may order the use of tactical nuclear weapons if his army faces a "catastrophic defeat" in Ukraine.
Source: Lytvynenko in an interview with The Times
The NSDC Secretary was asked whether there are circumstances under which Putin could resort to the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
Quote from Lytvynenko: "We cannot rule anything out if Russia is on the brink of a catastrophic defeat."
Details: He said that such a defeat could provoke the collapse of the Russian front line, army desertions, and protests in Moscow itself. Lytvynenko noted that there is no chance that Putin will deploy nuclear weapons as long as Russia has the upper hand in the war.
The NSDC Secretary also expressed doubts that the Kremlin leader would use strategic nuclear weapons, which would almost certainly provoke a third world war. "He wants to live," Lytvynenko noted.
He added that Russia's defeat on the battlefield in Ukraine would not automatically lead to Moscow's use of nuclear weapons, as Putin may attempt to convince his people that such a turn of events is actually a "victory".
Background:
- In May, the Russian Defence Ministry announced exercises involving the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, which drew condemnation from Western states.
- Following this, Belarus also announced a "sudden inspection" of non-strategic nuclear weapons delivery systems, following a similar announcement by Russia.
- In early June, Putin again contemplated the possibility of nuclear war and stated that it would "never come to that" due to the large number of casualties it could cause.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with The Telegraph, stated that the Alliance is in talks about deploying more nuclear weapons amid increasing threats from Russia and China.
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