Oleksandr Lytvynenko, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), expressed serious concerns about the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons in the event that its forces are defeated in Ukraine.
This is a new stage of tension in Ukrainian-Russian relations, which is marked by a high level of military activity and the escalation of the conflict in Donbas.
"We cannot rule out anything if Russia is on the verge of a catastrophic defeat," he said, adding that it is about a hypothetical collapse of the front and protests in Moscow.
However, he also stated that even in this case, the use of nuclear weapons is not guaranteed, since the Kremlin can convince the Russian population that this is a "victory".
It should be noted that Ukraine and a number of its allies hold the opinion on the international stage that the probability of Russia's use of nuclear weapons in the conflict is extremely low.
The likely purpose of these statements is to make it easier for the West to supply more long-range weapons and further loosen the ban on their use on Russian territory.
At the same time, Russia, for its part, makes it clear that the use of nuclear weapons is a real option. But, judging by statements from Moscow, it is being considered in case of direct entry of Western countries into the war on the side of Ukraine. And it is not Ukraine that is called the target for the strikes, but the NATO countries of Europe.
We will remind that the Russian tactical nuclear exercises, which are currently ongoing, are being held near the borders of Poland and the Baltic countries.
