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As Losses Mount In Ukraine, Senior Russian Military Leaders Reportedly Discuss Use Of Tactical Nukes

Senior Russian military leaders recently had discussions on when and how the Kremlin might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, The New York Times reported early Wednesday, citing a number of senior U.S. officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin, the only one in Russia who might order a nuclear assault, was not a part of the discussions.

The intelligence concerning the discussions, which circulated throughout the U.S. government in mid-October, didn’t change the prevailing assessment that Russia will not be taking steps to actually use a tactical nuke or “dirty bomb” in Ukraine, the Times reports. The truth that these senior Russian officials have been even discussing the choice, nevertheless, “alarmed the Biden administration because it showed how frustrated Russian generals were about their failures on the ground” and suggests “Putin’s veiled threats to use nuclear weapons might not just be words.”

A tactical nuke is a comparatively low-yield nuclear weapon, and a dirty bomb is a standard explosive laced with radioactive materials — each would spread radiation and terror around Ukraine.

“We’ve been clear from the outset that Russia’s comments about the potential use of nuclear weapons are deeply concerning, and we take them seriously,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby informed the Times. “We continue to monitor this as best we can, and we see no indications that Russia is making preparations for such use.”

Putin lately walked back his suggestion that Russia would possibly use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, saying “there is no point in that, neither political nor military.” The Pentagon has mentioned it has plenty of methods of responding if Russia did cross that line, and the overall assumption is the response would involving conventional, non-nuclear assaults on Russian targets in Ukraine. “Military analysts believe that in a head-to-head matchup of conventional forces, NATO far and away has the advantage,” The Washington Post reports.

“That’s why he’s been making these nuclear threats all along anyway; he’s been trying to deter NATO from getting involved conventionally,” Heather Williams at the Center for Strategic and International Studies tells the Post. She stated the bigger deterrent, although, is the “huge risk” that “any nuclear use” would cost Putin the support of China and India, Russia’s last remaining powerful allies.

Source: The Week

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