Putin may conduct nuclear test on Ukraine’s borders, says NATO
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (Photo:Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is set to demonstrate his willingness to use weapons of mass destruction with a nuclear test on Ukraine’s borders, UK daily newspaper The Times reported on Oct. 3.
NATO is believed to have warned its members, the newspaper said.
The Kremlin has been signaling its readiness for a significant escalation as Russia loses ground on the battlefield. Fears over Putin’s earlier hints that he might resort to such tactics heightened yesterday with claims that a train operated by Russia’s secretive nuclear division was destined for Ukraine.
Konrad Muzyka, a Poland-based defence analyst, said the train, spotted in central Russia, was linked to the 12th main directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense and that it was “responsible for nuclear munitions, their storage, maintenance, transport, and issuance to units.”
A senior defense source, however, said that a more likely demonstration of Putin’s readiness to use nuclear weapons could come in the Black Sea.
Although they believed such a show of force would be more likely, they said it was “not impossible” that Putin could fire a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. If he chose to do so, he faced a significant risk.
“They could misfire and accidentally hit a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border, such as Belgorod,” the source said.
Putin once again threatened the use of nuclear weapons on Sept. 21, saying that “this is not a bluff.”
The White House said that in case Russia uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine, the response of Washington and its allies will be decisive. The United States warned the Kremlin of “catastrophic consequences.”
According to Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Russia will not launch a nuclear strike in the near future.
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