The official, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak on the matter publicly, added that military leaders surrounding Putin are warning him of the “costly price that a NATO response to such a move could exact – tactical nuclear use.”
The official explained that Putin might “attempt” to launch a tactical nuclear terrorist attack on one of the Ukrainian populated areas or perhaps against one of the most vital sectors of Ukraine’s infrastructure in order to push the government leadership in Kyiv to what he described as “surrender.”
The official acknowledged that the Chief of Staff of the Russian Army and the Kremlin’s military and political advisors are aware that any step taken by Putin in this context will not lead to the surrender of Kyiv, the West or NATO, and therefore the Russian intelligence has so far advised him not to “adventure” because resorting to tactical nuclear weapons – which means small effective missiles – will not change the calculations of the battle on the ground.
On the other hand, a military official in the US Command in Europe – Youcom, affiliated to the Pentagon, said that the meeting of defense ministers of NATO countries in Brussels on October 12-13 will respond to Putin’s steps today, by declaring the citizens of four Ukrainian regions Russian citizens.
The official, who asked not to be named as he is not authorized to talk about the issue officially, added that the search for Ukraine’s membership in the alliance is no longer excluded and that military, intelligence and logistical cooperation with Kyiv will go towards more qualitative and numerical support, noting that some NATO member states, especially the Scandinavian ones. She did not hesitate to take this step, despite the reservations that London and Washington still exercised about it.
The official acknowledged that Putin will find fierce resistance in front of him in any territory he tries to annex, and that the West and NATO expect a rise in rebellion within the Russian army and the desertion of more soldiers from service.
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