Anyone even remotely familiar with the nature of military debates on Russian state television is aware of the propensity of some hard-liners to advocate extreme measures.

In this vein, one prominent propagandist has gone so far as to suggest that Russia should use nuclear weapons against England to deter the West from aiding Ukraine in its ongoing war, Sky News reports.

TV host Volodymyr Solovyov, who is a friend of Vladimir Putin, has often used his radio and TV shows to attack the West and urge the Kremlin to use its nuclear capabilities to invade Ukraine.

A clip of his latest tirade, shared online by journalist Francis Starr, a Russian insider, shows Solovyov trying to tell his colleagues that Russia should attack Britain.

“Actually, I’d test Poseidon now… in England,” he says, eliciting seemingly disbelieving laughter from the show’s other commentators.

Formerly known by the Russian codename Status-6, the Poseidon is an autonomous nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle said to be manufactured by the Rubin design bureau, capable of launching both conventional and nuclear missiles.

Volodymyr SolovyovPhoto: Willvest News / Profimedia Images

“I am not at all suggesting that we sink the island,” but added that “the main thing is that they do not doubt that we are ready to use nuclear weapons,” the Russian propagandist added.

“And I wouldn’t care if we went and sank anything with tanks. The US not only has doubts that Russia will not use nuclear weapons, but it is certain that we will not use them!” he warns.

“It is for this reason that a famous geek named Blinken convinced Biden that he should give the green light to the delivery of the F-16. He said that Russia will not do anything. So we have to crush them with nuclear bombs!”, the presenter mocks.

Another commentator on the show, Andriy Sidorov, disputed this argument, saying: “No, no, no: listen! I’m not against the use of nuclear bombs, I just don’t want an answer.”

Government officials are increasingly talking about the nuclear threat

The Secretary of the Security Council in Moscow, Mykola Patrushev, recently stated that in the event of a threat to existence, Russia is capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, reports Interfax.

“Forgetting the lessons of history, some in the West are already talking about a revenge that will lead to a military victory over Russia. One thing can be said about this. Russia is patient and does not scare anyone with its military advantage. But it has a unique modern weapon capable of destroying any enemy, including the US, in the event of a threat to its existence,” Patrushev said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Patrushev, considered Putin’s security and foreign policy ideologue and the leader’s obvious successor in the Kremlin, called it “short-sighted nonsense” that the United States could launch an armed conflict in the event of a direct conflict. a pre-emptive missile strike, after which Russia will not be able to respond.

Mykola Patrusev with Vladimir Putin Photo: Mykhailo Klymentiev / Sputnik / Profimedia Images

In January, Medvedev said that if Russia was defeated, it could start a nuclear war.

How the Kremlin is trying to accustom Russians to the decision of a strategic nuclear strike

Some analysts warn that the normalization in Russia of the kind of rhetoric repeatedly used by Solovyov in his broadcasts or by politicians such as Dmitry Medvedev could increase the risk of nuclear war.

Professor Dmytro Adamsky, an expert on Russia’s nuclear strategy and security policy, told Foreign Affairs that the shift in thinking among Russian leaders in recent years, and the change in the language they usually use when talking about the country’s arsenal, has troubling implications.

“Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons has changed since the invasion — and not in a comforting way.”

“The war further sharpened the strategic thinking of Russian leaders and normalized nuclear weapons in public consciousness. These complementary trends have consequences for Russia’s future behavior,” Adamsky believes.

The Russian expert explains that data from primary sources indicate that over the past year and a half, the Russian military has doubled down on the concept of deterrence strategy and is beginning to rely even more on the country’s nuclear arsenal in strategic planning.

While Western officials and commentators have denied frequent nuclear threats by Vladimir Putin and his allies since the invasion of Ukraine, Professor Adamski suggests that these threats have helped change attitudes in Russia to the point that for many a nuclear strike is no longer “an unthinkable option “.

“This repeated belligerent nuclear rhetoric – both official and unofficial – has somewhat weakened the nuclear taboo, albeit unintentionally,” he says.

Commenting on the influence of public opinion on the actions of leaders, he said that now “the tail can wag the dog.”

“Several Russian defense chiefs and nuclear experts have been shocked by the intolerable recklessness of the Russian public toward nuclear weapons,” he writes.

Putin, Medvedev and United Russia party president Andriy Turchak Photo: Oleksiy Nikolsky / Sputnik / Profimedia Images

These experts said that public sentiment does not accurately reflect the Kremlin’s position and is irresponsible because of its dangerous consequences.

Professor Adamski concludes that these changes in attitude can have a decisive effect on the actions of officials and operators who might otherwise refuse to follow orders if leaders were to order a nuclear attack.

“The new nuclear norm in Russia will most likely increase the obedience of operators in response to the escalation of nuclear orders from the Russian leadership. And if Russia faces civil-military instability, the chances of unauthorized use may increase,” the expert concludes.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine allows for a nuclear strike after “aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state is threatened.”

h2. Possible Russian preparations for a nuclear strike would be visible

For now, military analysts are keeping the risk in perspective, and the White House says it has seen no activity that would indicate an attack plan, but Western intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the emergence of a real threat.

Experts believe that if it were to take shape, Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon — a smaller explosive charge than a strategic nuclear weapon — likely launched from an Iskander short-range ballistic missile.

And the preparation for the attack would be obvious, Pavel Podvig, a researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Studies (Unidir) in Geneva, assures AFP.

In the 2017 report of this institute, 47 nuclear weapons storage sites in Russia were mapped.

They are constantly and closely monitored by military surveillance satellites in the US and other countries.

They can even be observed by commercial satellites, as shown by the widespread and regularly updated images of North Korea’s nuclear facilities.

For Podvig, Russia has deployed its strategic or long-range nuclear warheads on land, missiles, bombers and submarines.

But its non-strategic or tactical nuclear weapons, which can number up to 2,000, are not mounted on missiles, he said.

“I am convinced that the United States will see through any preparations by Russia to use nuclear weapons,” added Mark Kanchian, a former official at the US Department of Defense and Energy.

“Weapons must be removed from storage, target units must be alerted, and the Russians can also alert their strategic nuclear forces,” an expert now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told AFP.

Also, he said, the necessary training for Russian ground forces, such as the provision of protective equipment and instructions on how to operate in a nuclear environment, will be visible.

“Nuclear weapons require a certain structure, trained people and maintenance. You can’t do it in a random place,” said Pavlo Podvig, who considers the possibility of “hidden installations very unlikely.”

“Technically, you could probably smuggle a few bombs out of an undetected cache,” says the Unidir researcher.

But this carries certain risks, including provoking a preemptive strike by the West. “The Russians will never be sure that it won’t be discovered. It would be risky,” he warns.

Above all, he adds, Russia would most likely like the West to view its preparations as a warning. “This would be a kind of step forward in escalation (and) Russia would like to be visible,” Pavlo Podvig predicts again.

• Lukashenko said that Russia has started transferring nuclear weapons to Belarus
• “All of Ukraine will burn.” Putin’s ally threatens nuclear weapons again
• Medvedev: Great Britain is our eternal enemy / British monarchy, degenerate
• Will Putin use nuclear weapons if he feels threatened in the illegally annexed territories of Ukraine?
• Medvedev warns that Poland will disappear in the event of a conflict between Russia and NATO