The threat of Russia’s use of tactical nuclear weapons “cannot be ignored” and such a strike could trigger a “limited” nuclear war, Ukrainian army chief General Valery Zaluzhny said Wednesday in an article in which he said the basis of Ukrainian resistance is military aid from partners.

• “There is a direct threat of the use of tactical nuclear weapons under certain circumstances by the armed forces of Russia,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhnyi, in an article published by the state-run Ukrinform news agency. Reuters.
• “The threat looming over the whole of Europe cannot be ignored. It is also impossible to completely exclude the possibility of direct involvement of the main countries of the world in a “limited” nuclear conflict, in which the prospect of the third world war is already clearly visible,” says Zaluzhny’s article. deputy Mykhailo Zabrodsky acted as co-author.
• “The hostilities on the territory of Ukraine have already demonstrated how much the Russian Federation neglects the issues of global nuclear security, even in a war with the use of conventional means. In particular, since July 2022, Russian troops have located a military base on the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, placing heavy artillery, in particular, BM-30 “Smerch” salvo fire systems, warns Zaluzhny.
• “Any attempts to take practical steps towards the use of tactical nuclear weapons must be stopped using the entire arsenal of means at the disposal of the countries of the world. After all, from this moment on, the Russian Federation will become not only a threat to the peaceful coexistence of Ukraine, its other neighbors and a number of European countries, but also a truly global terrorist state,” he added.

The general wrote all this in the context in which he believes that “when analyzing the prospects of cooperation with partners regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine, it is appropriate to take into account” the risk of Russia’s use of tactical nuclear weapons.

In March, the head of the European Union mission in Russia, Markus Ederer, said that the Kremlin is discussing the possibility of using nuclear weapons in a “tactical” way, reports EFE.

• “There is a debate in certain circles about the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
• It’s not about nuclear Armageddon, it’s about showing that if the enemy goes on the offensive, nuclear weapons are an option,” Ederer told the European Parliament’s human rights subcommittee.

In April, CIA Director William Burns said the United States was not taking “lightly” the possibility that Russia might try to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine as Moscow continues to struggle on the war front.

• Given the potential desperation of President Putin and Russian leaders, given the failures they have faced so far militarily, no one can take lightly the threat posed by the possible use of tactical or low-yield nuclear weapons,” the CIA chief said.
• While there has been some rhetoric from the Kremlin about moving to a higher level of nuclear preparedness, so far we haven’t seen much practical evidence of military deployments or plans to add to that concern, but we’re watching it very closely,” Burns said. .

Bulgarian journalist Kristo Grozev, executive director of the international media investigative group Bellingcat, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine, but may do so against a NATO member state, such as Poland.

“I think that he cannot do this in Ukraine. Because no one in Russia will understand and justify such a thing. Moreover, if he wants to control this territory, then he does not need it. I am afraid that he is ready to use the tactics of nuclear weapons against countries that help Ukraine, including NATO member countries,” said Christo Grozev in an interview with the editor-in-chief of the quoted publication Alesi Batsman.

“I am very afraid that he may take revenge on Poland… This corresponds to his psychological profile,” Grozev said.

Russia is estimated to have the world’s largest nuclear arsenal with 4,477 warheads, of which 1,912 are considered tactical nuclear weapons.