Fears of nuclear war have increased since the start of the Ukraine war. A secretary of the Russian Security Council has an idiosyncratic explanation.
Moscow/Washington – For decades, the sword of Damocles, nuclear war, hung over humanity’s heads during the Cold War. Even if nuclear weapons did not magically disappear as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the nuclear threat nevertheless became a long way off. This changed with the beginning of Ukraine war. Not least because the Russian President Wladimir Putin and whose state apparatus repeatedly made statements along these lines.
That of all the nuclear powers… USA should dare to strike first or US President Joe Biden It seemed impossible to even develop thoughts in this direction. Not for Mikhail Popov, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, who warns of an “accidental” outbreak of nuclear war.
New statements from Russia: “Health problems” could trigger nuclear war
Consider Popov's statements in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia The question arises as to how the Russian official imagines the activation of the American nuclear missiles. Due to the hospitalization of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the “deterioration of cognitive abilities” of Joe Biden, the question of an “accidental nuclear war” is becoming more relevant, said Popow.
He also cites the “difficult and nervous domestic political situation that has recently developed in the United States,” which would bring “global catastrophe” closer. It's true that Joe Biden doesn't always seem the fittest, Lloyd Austin is in poor health and the stress is certainly increasing in the US election campaign. But whether US President Biden would therefore press the infamous nuclear button without obstacles and with emotion, as Popow seems to imply, is highly doubtful.
US President cannot trigger nuclear strike out of emotion
It is true that the US president will ultimately be able to decide on a nuclear strike on his own, but before this happens, a number of hurdles must be overcome and discussions must be held. Bloomberg demonstrated this in detail during Donald Trump's presidency.
If Joe Biden actually decided to launch a nuclear strike, he would first have to attend a conference with military and civilian advisers, including the head of the nuclear force. This can be over after 30 seconds, but this quick scenario is particularly important in the event of a second strike. Then the highest-ranking officer – usually the defense minister – has to check in the “war room” whether it is really the president and only then does the order for the shoot down go to the armed forces.
In an emergency, these steps can be completed within two to three minutes. Because of the implications of such a decision, it is quite easy to implement it into an affective act – whatever the impairment – but it is still almost impossible.
Russia and its allies keep talking about nuclear attacks
The fact that the Russian side is now claiming that a nuclear missile could be fired from the USA first is almost bizarre given the impressions of the last few months. The use of nuclear weapons is repeatedly openly discussed on Russian state TV; Vladimir Putin himself boasts about successful weapons tests and raves about the possible uses of a nuclear weapon.
Belarus' head of state Alexander Lukashenko also jumped on the bandwagon. After Russia brought some nuclear warheads to the neighboring country in August 2023 and they have been stationed there since then, Lukashenko said with a “colossal” answerthe US should continue to support Ukraine. (sh)
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