A former US ambassador to Russia explains the statements of a senior Moscow politician about nuclear war. According to the senior politician, nuclear war is nothing new. He also hinted the Kremlin had intended to launch an attack before the invasion of Ukraine took place.
According to Yahoo News, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former prime minister and president who is now deputy chairman of the country's security council, warned this weekend that Russia could use its nuclear weapons against states that use conventional weapons.
Medvedev told the Guardian that Russia's nuclear doctrine would not require an enemy nation to fire first. He also mentioned four scenarios in which Russia would launch their nuclear arsenal:
1. If Russia is hit by a nuclear missile.
2. If any other nuclear weapons are used against Russia or its allies.
3. Attacks on "critical infrastructure" that crippled its nuclear deterrent.
4. If an act of aggression is carried out against Russia and its allies which endangers the very existence of the country itself.
Medvedev's words were the latest nuclear warning to come out of Moscow after Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on "high alert" following the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
On Tuesday, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons if they were faced with an existential threat.
And, on Thursday, Russia stepped up its rhetoric again. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, warned Moscow had the right to use nuclear weapons if "provoked".
However, the former US ambassador, Michael McFaul, said the threat of nuclear weapons was "not new". He stated that none of the four conditions outlined by Medvedev will occur or are unlikely to occur.
"None of these conditions are present or even threatened. Nothing will happen. NATO would never attack Russia first, let alone endanger Russia's existence. Never," tweeted McFaul.
"Notice, he didn't say 'If NATO supplies fighter jets to Ukraine.'
He added, "Look, he didn't say 'if Russia starts losing on the battlefield in Ukraine'. In fact, compared to Russian doctrine before the invasion of Ukraine, I don't see anything new in what Medvedev said about the conditions under which Russia would go. using nuclear weapons. What am I missing?"
"And as for action, I see no evidence that Russia's nuclear power is now on higher alert than it was before attacking Ukraine. Correct me if I'm wrong."
According to Reuters, the official in charge of Russia's security policy said his country would only use nuclear weapons if its existence was threatened.
This was revealed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to CNN in an interview on Tuesday (22/3/2022).
The statement was released after nearly four weeks of Russia sending troops to Ukraine. Previously, there were Western concerns that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear war.
Peskov issued the statement in an English-language interview when asked if he believed President Vladimir Putin would not use nuclear weapons.
“We have a concept of internal security and it is public, you can read all the reasons for using nuclear weapons. So if it is an existential threat to our country, then it (nuclear arsenal) can be used according to our concept," he said.
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