Kremlin downplays nuclear rhetoric after large-scale attack on Moscow
Peskov announced that a nuclear power “cannot be threatened” (Photo: REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/)
The Kremlin attempted to explain what “nuclear deterrence” means to Russia following one of the largest attacks on the country, particularly on Moscow and Moscow Oblast, Interfax-Russia wrote on May 17.
Following the overnight strikes, Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin asked the Kremlin’s press secretary Dimitry Peskov whether the attack on Russian territories means that “a nuclear power can be bitten”.
“People are wondering… so what if we have these powerful bombs?” Zarubin asked.
“It seems that a nuclear power can be bitten.”
Peskov responded that a nuclear power “cannot be threatened” and its existence cannot be threatened.
“A nuclear power cannot be threatened; its existence cannot be threatened,” he claimed.
“This is what gives us the opportunity to be confident in this, and this is the basis of nuclear deterrence. Nuclear deterrence is an integral part and a cornerstone of our overall national security.”
His comments came after the overnight attack on May 17, which mainly targeted Moscow and Moscow Oblast.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated that the country’s defense forces had, for the first time, successfully struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, the Solnechnogorsk oil depot, and several enterprises connected to microelectronics production.
May 17 attacks on Moscow and its Oblast
A drone attack was reported overnight on May 17 in several cities across Russia’s Moscow Oblast. Explosions were reported in Khimki, Durikino, Lobnya, Zelenograd, and Naro-Fominsk outside Moscow. Witnesses also reported plumes of smoke and fires in some areas.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Moscow and the surrounding region had experienced the largest attack since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes on Moscow and other oblasts.
“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified,” Zelenskyy said.
“This time, Ukrainian long-range sanctions reached Moscow Oblast, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 556 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight on May 17.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that more than 120 UAVs were apparently neutralized over the Russian capital.
Russian authorities claimed three people were killed in the attack and 12 others were injured in Moscow.
Commenting on the attack, Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign Magyar and commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, stressed that Moscow is not beyond the reach of Ukrainian drones and has lost its “exclusive pass” to a peaceful life.
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