World on ‘brink of nuclear war’, claims Russia
Russia on Wednesday claimed that the world was on the brink of nuclear conflict, accusing the West of provocation.
Western capitals have said Moscow is escalating nuclear tensions since the war in Ukraine began in February.
Russia’s repeated warnings of an impending nuclear conflict are seen as a way to dissuade Ukraine’s Western backers from offering their continued support.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it feared the world’s five 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.
Senior Russian military leaders discussed the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
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 United States had created a “precedent” at the end of the Second World War 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 Nato planned to use Ukraine as a bridgehead to threaten Russia – allegations denied by Ukraine and Nato.
