Poking the Russian Bear: A Reckless Game with Nuclear Stakes, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)

The West, led by a hubris-driven United States, is playing a deadly game of "poking the Russian bear" with a red-hot poker, pushing Russia past its stated "red lines" toward a catastrophic confrontation. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that NATO's escalating support for Ukraine, arming it to strike deep into Russia and deploying advanced missile systems near Russian borders, is forcing Moscow into a corner where retaliation, potentially nuclear, may become inevitable. Western think tanks like the Atlantic Council mock these warnings as empty, flirting with world-ending conflict as if it's a geopolitical sport. This blog piece argues that the West's reckless provocations risk global annihilation and must be halted immediately to value peace over dominance.

Vladimir Putin's recent statements lay bare the West's strategy: push Russia to its limits, then brand it the aggressor. "They push us to 'a red line', from which we cannot retreat, we start to respond and then they immediately scare their population… with the Russian threat," Putin told Russian Defense Ministry officials according to the Huffington Post. He highlighted U.S. plans to deploy high-accuracy, ground-based missile systems with a 5,500km range in forward zones near Russia, noting that some deployments are already underway. These systems, capable of striking deep into Russian territory, are a clear escalation, as Putin warned via TASS: "The U.S. activity… is worrisome."

The most egregious provocation came when Ukraine, with U.S. approval and NATO technical support, began launching American-made long-range missiles into Russia. This followed explicit Russian warnings that such actions could trigger nuclear retaliation under Moscow's defence doctrine. The Biden administration's decision to greenlight these strikes, alongside providing 125 long-range rockets and 100 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine as recently as May 2025, shows a blatant disregard for the consequences. Putin has stated that NATO's direct involvement, via satellite guidance and targeting, means "NATO countries… are fighting with Russia," transforming the Ukraine conflict into a direct NATO-Russia clash.

Western arrogance reached a new low in an Atlantic Council article on November 18, 2024, which ridiculed Russia's "red lines" as toothless. "The reason for Biden's timidity was that Putin got into his head with his nuclear threats, even as Ukraine and the West moved past numerous Kremlin 'red lines' with no sight of a mushroom cloud," the piece gloated. This flippant dismissal ignores the gravity of crossing thresholds like Ukraine's invasion of Russia's Kursk region and its use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian soil. While Russia has not yet responded with nuclear force, each violation raises the stakes, as RT summarised: "The West's support for Ukraine is pushing Russia to the point where it cannot help but retaliate."

The Atlantic Council's cavalier attitude reflects a broader Western delusion: that Russia will indefinitely tolerate provocations without consequence. This is not a game. Russia's nuclear doctrine explicitly allows retaliation if it perceives an existential threat. With NATO's fingerprints on every missile fired into Russia, the risk of miscalculation grows. The West's strategy, escalate, then scare its own citizens with tales of a "Russian threat,' is a cynical ploy to justify further aggression while ignoring the spectre of nuclear war.

The consequences of this brinkmanship are unthinkable. A single misstep could escalate into a full-scale conflict, with nuclear arsenals capable of ending civilisation. Russia's warnings are not idle; they reflect a nation that feels cornered by NATO's expansion and direct involvement in Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies, by treating Russia's red lines as a bluff, are gambling with humanity's future. The provision of long-range weapons, satellite intelligence, and now missile deployments near Russia's borders is not just provocative, it's a deliberate escalation that invites retaliation. Every step closer to Russia's breaking point increases the likelihood of a response that could spiral into global devastation.

This madness must stop. The West, particularly the U.S., must cease its reckless provocations and pursue diplomacy over dominance. Immediate steps include:

Halting Missile Strikes: End U.S. and NATO approval for Ukraine's use of long-range missiles against Russian territory.

Pausing Missile Deployments: Cancel plans for new missile systems near Russia's borders to reduce tensions.

Engaging in Talks: Prioritise direct negotiations with Russia to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict and address mutual security concerns.

These actions are not capitulation; they are survival. The West's current path, taunting a nuclear-armed power while dismissing its warnings, is a recipe for catastrophe. Peace, not escalation, must be the priority, not Russian roulette with our future.

https://www.infowars.com/posts/putin-west-pushing-russia-beyond-red-line

"On Monday Vladimir Putin stated in a meeting with top Russian Defense Ministry officials that the West is pushing Russia beyond its red line with the recent escalations of using Ukraine to bomb deep inside Russia.

"The tactic is very simple: they push us to 'a red line', from which we cannot retreat, we start to respond and then they immediately scare their population – in the old days it was with the Soviet threat and now it's with the Russian threat," Putin said Monday, according to the Huffington Post.

The Russian President also discussed plans by the U.S. to deploy more advanced missile systems near Russian borders, also stating that some of this deployment is already underway.

"The U.S. activity to create and prepare for the deployment of ground-based high-accuracy strike weapons with a range of up to 5,500 kilometers in forward zones is worrisome," Putin said Monday according to TASS (the Russian News Agency).

"The essence of what the U.S. is trying to do with regard to Russia is to push it to its red line and then scare the American people with claims of a Russian threat," TASS (the Russian News Agency) said Monday.

In a hubris-filled article by The Atlantic Council, Russia's red lines were mocked in flagrant disregard to the risk of world-ending nuclear conflict.

"One last positive point here: Politics is rich with irony, and the U.S. debate on Russian aggression in Ukraine is no exception. The reason for Biden's timidity was that Putin got into his head with his nuclear threats, even as Ukraine and the West moved past numerous Kremlin 'red lines' with no sight of a mushroom cloud on the horizon," The Atlantic Council said November 18.

Regardless of Western outlets and think tanks flirting with ending the world in a game of 'poke the bear', Russia claims it may be forced to respond.

The West has already stepped over previous Russian red lines without yet being nuked, such as invading Russia with Ukraine and allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles.

"The West's support for Ukraine is pushing Russia to the point where it cannot help but retaliate," RT said Monday, summarizing Putin's statements.

On November 19 Ukraine began launching U.S.-made long-range missiles deep into Russia under the approval and guidance of the lame-duck Joe Biden administration, a move that Russia now allows a nuclear retaliation to. These events followed a Russian warning to the West against such actions."