Press
Russia never tires of threatening nuclear missiles. But is the whole thing just a bluff? An expert assesses the situation on “Victory Day” in Moscow.
Moscow – Wladimir Putin rattles the atomic saber again. On the day commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the Russian president invoked his country’s willingness to fight and also threatened to use nuclear forces. These are “always on alert,” Putin said on Thursday at the start of the annual celebrations for the 79th Victory Day at the major military parade on Red Square in Moscow.
Putin made it clear that Russia would “do everything to avoid a global confrontation.” “At the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us.”
Putin’s nuclear weapons threats “have a tradition,” but should not be taken seriously
But how real is the threat really? According to the Moscow correspondent, Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons ntv, Rainer Munz, “already a tradition” since the beginning of the war. There are always moments in which the threats are withdrawn and it is pointed out that they are just routine exercises. Such statements were also made during the celebrations. Putin’s ally Ryabkov recently underlined the possibility of a first use of nuclear weapons as a possibility.
There will also be such exercises in Belarus, where Russian nuclear weapons are stored. This shows that the threats are nothing but a “political bluff,” said Munz. “The Americans have also discovered that the nuclear warheads are not being taken out of the arsenals.” These are exercises that have already taken place before. The bluff is intended to intimidate the West, suspects expert Munz.
The US government, on the other hand, is taking Russian threats seriously. She has denounced Russia’s announcement of nuclear exercises as “irresponsible.” It was “an example of the kind of irresponsible rhetoric” that Moscow has used in the past, said US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder. Given the current security situation, the Russian announcement was “completely inappropriate.”
Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine: Threshold for use lower than expected?
Russia has a nuclear weapons doctrine. This stipulates that the country should only use nuclear weapons in response to massive attacks with nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, as well as conventional attacks if they endanger the existence of the Russian state. Putin, as commander in chief of the Russian armed forces, decides when these conditions apply. Russian hardliners have already called for the threshold to be lowered.
The Financial Times reported on leaked documents from the Russian army that the threshold would be far lower than publicly announced – for example if “states want to escalate military conflicts”. According to nuclear expert Nikolai Sokolov from the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, this case could occur if NATO were directly involved in the Ukraine war. He expressed this to World.
Military parade in Russia without modern tanks
The fact that Russian strength is crumbling is also evident elsewhere. The Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil depots took place on the very day on which Russia actually wants to consciously demonstrate strength. Loud ntv Modern tanks were looked for in vain at the parade; only a model from the Second World War rolled across Red Square. Russia suffered heavy losses in the Ukraine war.
At the parade to commemorate the end of the Second World War, thousands of soldiers traditionally march through Red Square, accompanied by tanks, fighter jets and rocket launchers. According to Russian media, more than 9,000 soldiers took part in the parade. This year, too, the traditional military parade is dedicated to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, which Putin ordered in February 2022.
Drone attacks on refineries “could become a problem for Russia”
The Second World War ended 79 years ago with the surrender of the German Wehrmacht. In Western Europe, the event is commemorated on May 8th, and in Russia and other former Soviet Union states on May 9th.
Ukraine attacks oil refineries with drones on “Victory Day” in Russia
Ukraine is currently carrying out more drone attacks on refineries – including on “Victory Day”. Kiev says it attacked a Russian oil refinery almost 1,200 kilometers from the border. Ukrainian defense circles said on Thursday (May 9, 2024) that a “record range” had been achieved in the attack on the refinery in the semi-autonomous Republic of Bashkortostan. The drone flew a total of 1,500 kilometers. The target was a Gazprom refinery in the city of Salawat. The attack was carried out by the Ukrainian secret service SBU.
There was also an attack on two oil storage facilities in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, it said. Russian emergency services said there was damage to the pumping station at the Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan. “There is no fire, no victims,” the local emergency ministry said in online services. Local authorities said smoke rose above the refinery after the drone strike, but it continued to operate normally. (cgsc with afp)
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