A new report warns that Russia's nuclear threats are not being deterred by the UK's stance, as Moscow escalates rhetoric amid battlefield losses in Ukraine. The warning comes as NATO begins its major Ramstein Flag 2026 drills, showcasing allied strength.
Dan Negrea, the US representative at the UN Security Council, described Russia's invasion as a "strategic disaster," noting that oil refineries are ablaze and Russia is losing 5,000 troops per month. He stated that escalation will not change this and risks making the disaster worse.
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin declared that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if Russia or Belarus face security risks, pointing to what Moscow claims is a buildup of NATO forces on its borders. The threat was echoed by military expert Col Yuri Knutov in the Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, who called for the use of tactical nuclear weapons to break Ukrainian defences and for the assassination of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Knutov argued that Russia should use tactical nuclear weapons, such as 152mm shells with nuclear warheads, in three or four places in Ukrainian defences to guarantee forward movement. He also advocated for the use of powerful aerial bombs like the FAB-3000 and FAB-9000 to grind down enemy positions.
