At the battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297, the movie Braveheart has William Wallace provoking the English to battle, saying "Here are Scotland's terms. Lower your flags, and march straight back to England, stopping at every home to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. ... Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass."
Putin's Nuclear Crisis - February 2024
Threats about the use of nuclear weapons from the Kremlin have been heard since the beginning of a full-scale war. This is cynically called “protection of Russian interests.”
Russia does not plan to deploy its nuclear weapons in other countries, in addition to those already deployed in Belarus, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a press conference 01 February 2024 following the meeting of Sherpas/Sous-Sherpas of the BRICS countries. He emphasized that Moscow is showing maximum responsibility.
“We are carrying out activities jointly with Belarus within the framework of a single Union State that has a common security space, while joint NATO nuclear missions are carried out on the territories of countries and in the airspace of countries, as well as with the involvement of military personnel of countries that have declared themselves nuclear-free within the meaning of the Treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," the diplomat said. He noted that the multiplication of nuclear alliances in many parts of the world “is a reflection of the aggressive core, hostile to the peaceful development of those countries that advocate equality, mutual respect and the progressive path of the civilizational movement.”
Medvedev posted on Telegram 07 February 2024: "Sunak, Scholz, Macron, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish and other NATO bosses keep saying that "we must be ready for war with Russia.
"An although Russia has repeatedly said that it has no plans for conflict with NATO and EU countries, the extremely dangerous chatter on this topic continues. The reasons are obvious. It is necessary to divert voters' attention in order to justify multi-billion dollar spending on the shabby Banderite "Ukraine". After all, the huge money is spent not on solving social problems in these countries, but on the war in a dying country that is a stranger to taxpayers, whose population has scattered across Europe and terrorizes the locals. That is why every day the leaders of these countries say: we should prepare for war with Russia and continue to help Ukraine, and therefore we need to produce more tanks, shells, drones and other weapons.
"But all European leaders cynically lie to their citizens. If, God forbid, such a war happens, it will not follow the SMO scenario. It will not be fought in trenches with artillery, armored vehicles, drones, and electronic warfare.
"NATO is a huge military bloc, the population of the Alliance countries is almost 1 billion people, and their combined military budget can reach one and a half trillion dollars.
"Therefore, due to the incomparability of our military potentials, we will have no choice. The response will be asymmetric. Ballistic and cruise missiles with special warheads will be used to protect the territorial integrity of our country. This is based on our doctrinal military documents and is well known to everyone. And this is the notorious Apocalypse. The end of everything.
"That is why Western politicians should tell their voters the bitter truth, not keep them as brainless idiots. Explain to them what will really happen instead of repeating the false mantra of being ready for war with Russia".
Vladimir Putin warned 08 February 2024 of the potential 'war conflict' if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO. The Russian president's message came after hours of talks with French president Emmanuel Macron. The news came amid tension at the Russia-Ukraine border, with NATO, the EU and America threatening sanctions on Russia if it invades.Following his meeting in Moscow with Macron, Putin said that while talks were constructive, he wanted to 'stress' the potential fallout if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO.
"I've been saying it, but I'd very much want you to finally hear me, and to deliver it to your audience in print, TV and online. Do you understand it or not, that if Ukraine joins NATO and attempts to bring Crimea back by military means, the European countries will be automatically pulled into a war conflict with Russia." Putin warned that should Ukraine become part of NATO, 'there will be no winners. And you will be pulled into this conflict against your will'. 'You won't even have time to blink your eye when you execute Article 5," he added. Putin added that while "'the [military] potential of NATO and Russia are incomparable', he also understands 'that Russia is one of the leading nuclear states, and by some modern components it even outperforms many".
The Russian president went on to say that it has previously warned NATO of expanding east, but said that there was "'just a complete disregard for our concerns, demands, and proposals". However, Putin affirmed that conflict is not something he or president Macron want. He added, "'Mr President Macron, of course, doesn't want this. And I don't want it. And I don't want it… which is why he is here [in Moscow], torturing me for six straight hours."
Vladimir Putin arrived at the runway of the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant that produces the upgraded Tu-160M strategic missile carrier on 21 February 2024. Putin inspected one of the aircraft in the factory workshop and climbed into the cockpit at the helm. Putin completed the flight on a modernized Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber as part of the crew. The flight on 22 February 2024 took about 30 minutes, with the pre-flight preparation taking about another 45 minutes. "Good [experience], that’s not the point. The point is that we are getting new equipment, the equipment is excellent, it is truly of a new generation … of course, it can be accepted into the armed forces," Putin told reporters after the flight. "We have always been and are categorically against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. We have repeatedly proposed not only to comply with all existing agreements in this field, but also to strengthen joint work" Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that they are against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. Vladimir Putin made a statement 23 February 2024 during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow. Putin noted that they did not refuse to negotiate on Ukraine, saying: “We were always in favor of negotiations. I have already said hundreds of times that we are not going to stop the dialogue. "It was the Ukrainian side that interrupted the dialogue on direct instructions from London and Washington."
Putin stated the following regarding accusations in the American press that "Russia is planning to deploy nuclear weapons in space. Our position is open and transparent. We have always been and are categorically against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. "We have repeatedly proposed not only to comply with all existing agreements in this field, but also to strengthen joint work." Shoygu also stated that Russia has no project to deploy nuclear weapons in space: “They (the United States) also know this, but they still make noise. "They want to intimidate senators and members of Congress into raising funds not only for Ukraine but also to strategically defeat Russia."
The threat of using nuclear weapons is real, relations between Russia and the United States are currently much more tense than during the Cuban missile crisis. This was stated 22 February 2024 by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev in an interview with Russian media. According to Medvedev, “we must do everything to ensure that it (the scenario of the use of nuclear weapons - NSN) does not take place, but this very clock that is ticking in a certain direction has now accelerated very much.” He said that “Western authorities” are saying that “the Russians are scary, they will never do it,” but they are wrong.”
According to the deputy chairman of the Security Council, the Russian leadership will have no choice if it comes to the existence of the state. He also added that humanity has always used the weapons it created. “This is not stirring up passions. This is just a reason to think about where we are,” said Putin’s henchman.
"If we are talking about the existence of our country, I also spoke about this recently, what choice will remain for the leadership, for the head of state? None,” he added. Medvedev also clarified that not a single weapon invented by mankind remained unused, and cited the example of US strikes on Japanese cities,
"Russian President Vladimir Putin uses every opportunity to remind Western nations of his country's nuclear capabilities. He knows that the West is holding back from giving Ukraine sufficient arms to throw Russian troops out of the country, thus undoing Russia’s new imperial endeavors, for one primary reason alone: the threat of Russia launching a nuclear war.
"Russia is just as weak economically as it is with regard to conventional warfare. In terms of nuclear weapons, however, Moscow is on a par with Washington, at least on paper. It is obvious that without nuclear weapons, Russia would be forced to come to terms with the post-Cold War reordering of the world, and to give up its fantasies of great power. With nuclear weapons, on the other hand, it can spread fear everywhere....
"Non-nuclear powers would not be able to claim equal status, and would not be in a position to put nuclear-armed aggressors in their place. The nuclear order built up over decades under American leadership would come to an end.... Nuclear weapons have become more important, not less. Russia is using its possession of the atomic bomb to subjugate and incorporate a sovereign state by force.""
Max Seddon and Chris Cook reported that "classified papers, seen by the Financial Times, describe a threshold for using tactical nuclear weapons that is lower than Russia has ever publicly admitted... The cache consists of 29 secret Russian military files drawn up between 2008 and 2014... Criteria for a potential nuclear response range from an enemy incursion on Russian territory to more specific triggers, such as the destruction of 20 per cent of Russia’s strategic ballistic missile submarines.
“This is the first time that we have seen documents like this reported in the public domain,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin. “They show that the operational threshold for using nuclear weapons is pretty low if the desired result can’t be achieved through conventional means.”
"Ukrainian officials argued that Putin’s nuclear threats convinced US and other allies not to arm Kyiv more decisively early in the conflict, when advanced Nato weaponry could have turned the tide in Ukraine’s favour."
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned 29 February 2024 of a “real” risk of nuclear war if the Western countries sent troops to fight in Ukraine during an annual address to the nation two weeks ahead of the presidential election. “There has been talk about the possibility of sending NATO military contingents to Ukraine. But we remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to our country’s territory. But now the consequences for possible interventionists will be far more tragic,” Putin said addressing parliament and other senior elites.
“They must realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilisation. Don’t they get that?” he said in his annual message to the Federal Assembly, Russia’s national legislature. Putin concluded his address after two hours and six minutes. It was his longest message to the Federal Assembly to date.
Putin has previously spoken of the dangers of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, but this nuclear weapon warning was one of his most explicit. Putin’s warning came in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal on Monday of European NATO members sending ground troops to Ukraine. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and some other members rejected the suggestion. But Putin suggested that Western leaders remember the fate of those like Germany’s Adolf Hitler and France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, who unsuccessfully tried to invade his country in the past.
The Avangard strategic hypersonic gliders and the Peresvet laser system are already in service, the Russian leader said. A hypersonic glider is a vehicle usually designed for delivering a nuclear device. It can travel through the atmosphere at high altitude and great speed, and can maneuver to avoid interception. Moscow will soon release footage of heavy strategic intercontinental ballistic Sarmat missiles in their silos, the president promised. Trials of the nuclear-powered, unlimited-range cruise missile Burevestnik and of the nuclear-capable underwater drone Poseidon are close to completion, he added. Those systems have confirmed their high – unique, I might say without exaggeration – specifications,” Putin said of the weapon systems. All of the new arms were first revealed by the Russian president during a March 2018 address to the Federal Assembly.
”We are dealing with a state whose ruling elites are openly taking hostile actions against us,” he said. “Do they seriously intend to discuss strategic stability with us while trying to inflict ‘strategic defeat on the battlefield,’ as they put it themselves, on Russia?” He described Washington’s diplomatic stance as “hypocritical” and just a means to deliver outcomes that “are beneficiary only to the US.”
“They want to show their citizens that they still rule the world. The US will only hold talks with Russia on issues where it is beneficial for America to find an agreement. On issues that are not profitable for them, they will say there is ‘nothing to discuss’ … and will try to inflict a defeat on [Moscow],” Putin stated.
“Russia is ready for dialogue with the US on issues of strategic stability. But… we are dealing with a country whose leaders are openly taking hostile actions against us,” Putin said. He questioned how Washington can expect to discuss strategic stability with Moscow while simultaneously trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in the Ukraine conflict.
Peter Dickinson noted "Ukraine has repeatedly called Putin’s bluff, exposing the emptiness of the Russian dictator’s nuclear bluster. Just weeks after his September 2022 speech, the Ukrainian military liberated Kherson, the only regional capital captured by Russia since the start of the invasion and a city that Putin himself had just trumpeted as “forever Russian.” Rather than reaching for the nuclear button, Putin reacted to this embarrassing defeat by ordering his troops to quietly withdraw....
"While Ukraine has refused to be intimidated by Putin’s nuclear blackmail, the same cannot be said for the West. Putin’s thinly veiled threats may appear crude and primitive, but there can be little doubt that they have been instrumental in fueling the crippling fear of escalation that has plagued Western decision-making ever since the first days of the invasion. This has led to the disastrously slow delivery of military aid to Ukraine and the outright denial of weapons systems that could have set the stage for a Ukrainian victory....
" Russia’s successful use of nuclear blackmail in Ukraine will transform attitudes toward nuclear weapons and undermine decades of nonproliferation efforts. Nukes will become an essential tool for any country that wishes to avoid being bullied by their neighbors. The potential for nuclear war will increase dramatically ...""
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