Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that Russia is considering adding a nuclear first strike to its military strategy, in which Russia could use a nuclear weapon to disarm an adversary, according to Bloomberg. If Putin sticks to this idea, it would mark a radical departure from the nuclear strategy claimed by Russia, which is that the country will only use a nuclear weapon in “self defenseor retaliation. Putin has been hinting that Russia might release nuclear weapons for months now. This fall, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu embarked on a campaign to convince other world leaders that Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” a combination of conventional explosives and radioactive materials, in what Western officials have said is likely Russia’s way of constructing justification for Russia’s own plans to escalate the war in Ukraine. Putin’s remarks are just the latest in a series of seemingly contradictory statements he has made this week on nuclear weapons. As recently as Thursday, Putin said he saw the “increasing” risk of nuclear escalation on the world stage. Putin also said that Russia had not “gone crazy” in an apparent attempt to reassure worried allies that Moscow might indeed use a nuclear weapon. It’s unclear whether the assurances have made their mark yet: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is canceling an annual face-to-face meeting with Putin on nuclear threats, according to a Bloomberg report.
Comments are closed.