The Alliance must make it clear to the Kremlin how terrible its response will be if the 1945 nuclear taboo is broken.
Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have recently repeated threats that they may use nuclear weapons against Ukraine . Unthinkable? It doesn't sound scary, but there is such a threat.
Putin miscalculated when he started the war against the neighboring country – convinced the publisher of the American magazine Forbes Steve Forbes. In his opinion, the Russian autocrat underestimated the extent to which the corruption of his regime poisoned the Russian army. Officers and defense officials were too busy stuffing their pockets to do their job and build a modern army.
From this point of view, Ukraine is the complete opposite. In 2014, her army was severely defeated when Putin annexed Crimea and began occupying regions in eastern Ukraine with his special forces. But after that, Ukraine radically reformed its army. The United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries have sent troops to train Ukrainian soldiers in sophisticated modern tactics. In addition, the Armed Forces gained valuable combat experience in the war that has been raging since 2014. All these factors together have made the Ukrainian army one of the best in the world.
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“If only a few weeks ago Ukraine was given all military equipment and ammunition, which she needs, she would have driven out the Russian invaders. But even now, this beaten but undefeated country is still not getting what it needs, ”Forbes said.
Despite everything, Putin faced humiliation. His troops advanced slightly to the east, but at the cost of very heavy losses. So Russia is not winning. On Monday, May 9, Moscow will celebrate the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. And Putin definitely wants to win a trophy to show off his invasion of Ukraine. Forbes suggests that Putin is unlikely to stage a nuclear war by May 9. But he is well aware that his dreams of a new Russian empire that would rule Central and Eastern Europe, as well as make Western Europe afraid of Moscow, have been completely shattered. He may decide that the only way to escape the catastrophe in which he is involved is to detonate a low-charge nuclear munition with an explosive power equal to one-third of the bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima in 1945. He can strike a blow at a Ukrainian city or a deserted territory to show his strong desire to win.
“How can this be prevented? It must be made clear that NATO will destroy all Russian forces in and around Ukraine. We have enough strength to do it. All ongoing Russian oil and gas exports will be stopped immediately. All Russian banking assets will be frozen. The critical Black Sea will be blocked. All Russian ships in the waters will be seized or sunk. We will launch the “mother of all cyberattacks” and much more, “Forbes advises.
Read also: Former German Foreign Minister: Europe will have to build its own nuclear deterrent after the war in Ukraine
He admits that such actions will be costly. But the Russian economy will fall quickly. And Russia will not be able to capture Ukraine. If the threats to take all these steps are convincing enough, it is possible that Russian generals and officials will turn against Putin. Few people want to die for a “crazy dictator.” It is to be hoped that Washington and NATO are now seriously considering a way to prevent the violation of the taboo on the use of nuclear weapons, which has been in place since 1945.
See the special topic: Amnesty International will help the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate Russian war crimes Experts of the organization are already cooperating with local authorities and the Cabinet of Ministers in the investigation of Russian war crimes. Zelensky holds online meeting with 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush Bush expresses support for Ukraine Biden and Scholz do not recognize the legitimacy of changing Ukraine's borders as a result of the war Russia calls for an end to the war and withdrawal of troops. Lukashenko says that Belarus will not take part in the war against Ukraine At the same time, giving its territory to the aggressor is already a part of the war. Britain can hand over “higher range” weapons to Ukraine They are going to use them to “prevent the shelling of civilians”.
