CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES: The world’s five nuclear superpowers are ‘on the brink of a direct armed conflict’ which will have ‘catastrophic consequences’, Russia warns
The world’s five nuclear superpowers are ‘on the brink of a direct armed conflict’ which will have ‘catastrophic consequences’, Russia has warned.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that avoiding a nuclear clash between the world’s nuclear powers was its first priority, but accused the West of ‘encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction’.
Western capitals have said Moscow is behind a ramping up of nuclear rhetoric since Russia invaded Ukraine in February – most recently by repeatedly accusing Kyiv of planning to use a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ without offering evidence. Kyiv has denied having any such plan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it feared the five declared nuclear powers were teetering ‘on the brink of a direct armed conflict’ and that the West must stop ‘encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences’.
‘We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers,’ the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow said it stood by a joint declaration issued together with the US, China, Britain and France in January affirming their joint responsibility for avoiding a nuclear war.
‘We fully reaffirm our commitment to the joint statement of the five nuclear-weapon states’ leaders on the prevention of nuclear war and the avoidance of an arms race from Jan. 3, 2022,’ the ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared on several occasions to threaten a nuclear strike in connection with the war in Ukraine, and Moscow has repeatedly said its military doctrine permits the use of nuclear weapons if Russia’s territorial integrity is under threat.
In September, Putin said he was ‘not bluffing’ when he stated that Russia was prepared to use ‘all available means’ to defend its territory.
He also said the US had created a ‘precedent’ at the end of World War Two when it dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
Shortly afterwards, Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechnya region and a key ally of Putin’s, called for Russia to use a ‘low-yield nuclear weapon’ in Ukraine.
Moscow also frequently accuses Kyiv of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, and alleged at the start of the war that the Western NATO alliance planned to use Ukraine as a bridgehead to threaten Russia – allegations denied by Ukraine and NATO.
It was previously reported that senior Russian military leaders have discussed when and how they would use tact.
US government officials learned about the discussions in mid-October, as Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric intensified, reports The New York Times.
It comes after Putin joked about the prospect of a nuclear war last week.
The Kremlin leader was asked to reassure an audience at the Valdai Discussion Club think-tank that the world is not on the verge of nuclear annihilation – and chose to respond with a long pause.
When host Fyodor Lukyanov pointed out his silence was ‘alarming’, a smirking Putin responded: ‘I did that on purpose so you would be on your guard. The effect has been achieved.’
John F. Kirby, a National Security Council official, told the New York Times: ‘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.
Russia’s nuclear stockpile, the largest in the world, consists of ‘tactical’, lower-yield bombs and strategic weapons that can annihilate cities and population centres.
Its tactical nukes, with a yield of between ten and 100 kilotons, are designed for use on the battlefield in contested territory.
In comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was approximately 18 kilotons.