Russian Threats of Nuclear Armageddon By James Reed
I have been following quite diligently the proclamations being made by Russian elites about how nuclear Armageddon could arise. Many of these claims have been made by Putin's ally, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council and a former Russian president and prime minister.
Medvedev's latest claim is more extreme than others recently made, where Russia would destroy the West if it faced an existential threat. Now the idea is that cities such as Washington DC and London would be subjected to nuclear obliteration if Russia is forced to give up Ukrainian territory it already has. "Attempts to restore Russia's 1991 borders will lead only to one thing — a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad." What about little old diverse Melbourne?
What more can be said? As I see it, Russia is serious about this threat, but the West is either going to ignore the threat, suppose that it is not an issue, or else, perhaps welcome oblivion with open arms, as some US neo cons may do, for mistaken religious reasons.
"A close ally of Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Russia will launch Armageddon by nuking cities such as Washington and London if Moscow is forced to give up Ukrainian territory it has taken over, according to reports.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council and a former Russian president and prime minister, threatened that the US and its allies would pay the ultimate price if Russia is forced to retreat.
"Attempts to restore Russia's 1991 borders will lead only to one thing — a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad," Medvedev wrote on Telegram, according to the Kyiv Independent.
The Putin ally has made similar threats in the past, but critics say they are a bluff designed to gain concessions from the West in Russia's war on Ukraine.
Since their invasion, Kremlin forces have annexed several Ukrainian regions that Putin claims are rightfully Russian — areas that Medvedev has claimed would represent a "disintegration" of Russia if they were returned.
Medvedev also took to X earlier this month to chastize NATO allies for their "dangerous babbling" about a potential wider war with Russia.
"The response will be asymmetrical," he wrote. "To defend our country's territorial integrity, ballistic and cruise missiles carrying special warheads will be put to use. It is based on our military doctrine documents and is well known to all. And this is exactly that very Apocalypse. The end to everything."
His latest comments come along with recent setbacks for Ukraine in its war against Moscow, which invaded the US ally in late February 2022.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from the country's eastern town of Avdiivka after a yearlong battle.
On Sunday, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) warned that Ukrainian soldiers are now forced to ration ammunition as Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to push back against more funding for the country under siege.
Medvedev said in January that Russia would always be in conflict with Ukraine, calling the country a "cancerous neoplasm," according to the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda last month.
In May 2022, Medvedev said that if the West supplied Ukraine with weapons, the move would increase "the likelihood of a direct and open conflict between NATO and Russia."
On Sunday, he said, "It's better to return everything before it's too late.
"Or we will return it ourselves with maximum losses for the enemy.
"Like in Avdiivka," he said. "Our warriors are heroes."
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