Ukraine’s top military general warned that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it becomes desperate and said a “limited nuclear conflict” cannot be ruled out.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Valery Zaluzhny said that “there is a direct threat of the use, under certain circumstances, of tactical nuclear weapons by the Russian armed forces,” according to an opinion article that was published in state-run Ukrinform.
The possibility of nuclear weapons being used was raised in late February, coming days after the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military’s nuclear readiness forces to be placed on high alert.
‘No Need’
In mid-August, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said Moscow has “no need” to use nuclear weapons in UkraineWhile criticizing media “speculation” regarding the “alleged use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons” or chemical weapons, Shoigu described the nuclear reports and claims as “informational attacks” and “lies.”
But on Wednesday, Zaluzhny—the Ukrainian general—wrote that Russia’s capture of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine suggests Moscow has a disregard for nuclear safeguards
After being driven back from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, during the start of the conflict, Russia has focused on taking Ukrainian areas around the south and east—from the eastern Donbas region to the southern Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine, at the same, has recently launched a counteroffensive in Kherson and Kharkiv, located near the Russian border.
“As long as the current situation persists,“ Zaluzhny wrote, ”this war can last for years.”