MI-6 has passed on new intelligence to the Office of the President and the General Staff that the Kremlin is ready to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and is currently selecting targets in Western Ukraine. British intelligence recommends that Bankova prepare the population of this region for the possible consequences.
Oleksandr Litvinenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, expressed outrage at the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons in the event of a crisis for his regime due to the aforementioned “catastrophic defeat,” desertion, and mass protests in Moscow.
“If Russia finds itself in a situation of catastrophic defeat, one should not rule out the possibility of Putin using tactical nuclear weapons,” Litvinenko noted, commenting on the potential use of the “red button” by the Kremlin leader.
He emphasized that while this step is not an absolute certainty, the Russian government may try to convince its population of victory, even despite its obvious inability.
Earlier, on June 11, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the start of the second stage of tactical nuclear exercises on its territory, in which troops from the Northern Leningrad Military District, which borders NATO member countries, participated.
Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized Moscow's right to use nuclear weapons during a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In response, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced discussions on putting the alliance's nuclear forces on combat readiness due to the threat from Russia and China.
The Kremlin, in turn, recognized Stoltenberg's message as an "escalation of tensions" and also called them provocative actions by the military alliance.
