DISINFO: Only the West talks about scenarios considering nuclear war possible
SUMMARY
Only the West talks about scenarios considering nuclear war possible. We (Russia) have never started a debate about what to do with nuclear weapons and whether they can be used. On the contrary, it was at the initiative of Russia that in early 2021, at the level of [Russian and US Presidents] Putin and Biden, and then at the level of the “five” of nuclear states, the permanent members of the [UN] Security Council, the “Gorbachev-Reagan formula” was reproduced, stating that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, therefore it should never be unleashed. And that was Russia’s initiative.
All other initiatives in which nuclear war is considered possible, such expressions were heard exclusively from Western capitals.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine’s partners in the EU, and the US, of warmongering in general and issuing nuclear threats in particular. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia, not Western leaders, has consistently issued nuclear threats since the start of its unprovoked war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. On February 27, 2022, Putin ordered Russia's nuclear forces to a heightened state of alert—the first such escalation since the Cold War. Putin and other officials have repeatedly invoked nuclear rhetoric despite no provocation from Ukraine or its allies.
The ex-president and deputy head of Russia’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev, wrote in Telegram on 6 May 2024 that if Western countries sent their troops to Ukraine, it would entail these countries' direct entry into the war, to which Russia ‘will have to respond.’ ‘And, unfortunately, not on the territory of Ukraine. There will be a global catastrophe,’ Medvedev said.
Putin said on 29 February 2024 that if Western countries sent troops to Ukraine, it could lead to nuclear war. In his speech announcing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (which Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’) on 24 February 2022, Putin threatened Western nations with dire consequences if they dared to help Ukraine, saying that ‘Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences that you have never experienced in your history.’
It is Russia, who has been making nuclear threats, including the deployment of atomic weapons in Belarus, video simulations and suggestions of nuclear attacks on Western capitals on Russian TV, a change in Russia’s nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold of using atomic bombs, and a failed test of a ballistic missile designed to transport nuclear heads.
All the above-mentioned statements and many others have directly threatened European and global security. In addition, Russia has been regularly launching nuclear drills to intimidate its European neighbours. Russia’s military held the first stage of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons in May 2024. Russia and its ally Belarus launched a second stage of the drills in June 2024.
To counter Russian threats, NATO has adopted several strong declarations and drawn up several plans of action. In 2014, at the Wales Summit, NATO agreed to implement the Readiness Action Plan (RAP) to respond to the changed security environment on the Alliance’s borders. At the Warsaw Summit in 2016, NATO agreed to enhance its forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. The Declaration of NATO’s Madrid Summit of 2022 said: ‘The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.’ The 2023 Vilnius Summit Communiqué said: ‘We condemn Russia’s announced intention to deploy nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable systems on Belarusian territory, which further demonstrates how Russia’s repeated actions undermine strategic stability and overall security in the Euro-Atlantic area.’
Furthermore, Russia updated its nuclear doctrine to treat attacks by non-nuclear states, if supported by nuclear powers, as joint assaults on Russia. This change formalised on the 1,000th day of the war, follows Washington's approval for Ukraine to use long-range U.S. missiles against Russian targets. Biden’s move comes as Russia's advances in eastern Ukraine threaten to overwhelm front-line defences.
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