Russian President Vladimir Putin has said once again that he is not giving up on the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the current conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested he is ready to use nuclear weapons to defend his territory, raising fears that he will use “tactical” or small-scale nuclear devices in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden warned Putin that such a move would represent the most serious military escalation in the world since World War II.
What are tactical nuclear weapons?
Tactical nuclear weapons consist of small warheads and launch systems for use on the battlefield or for limited strikes.
It is designed to destroy enemy targets in a given area without causing widespread spread of radioactivity.
The smallest tactical nuclear weapons can be 1 kiloton or less (equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT explosives). The largest can reach 100 kilotons.
Strategic nuclear weapons are larger (up to 1,000 kilotons) and are launched from a greater distance.
By comparison, the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons.
What tactical nuclear weapons does Russia have?
According to US intelligence, Russia has about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons.
Tactical nuclear warheads can be deployed on various types of missiles, typically used to launch conventional explosives such as cruise missiles and artillery shells.
Tactical nuclear weapons can also be fired from aircraft and ships – anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and depth charges (used against submarines).
The US says Russia has recently invested heavily in these weapons to increase their range and accuracy.
Have tactical nuclear weapons been used before?
Such weapons were never used in conflicts.
Nuclear powers like the US and Russia find it equally effective at destroying battlefield targets using modern conventional munitions.
There is another reason: No nuclear-armed nation has ever been willing to eventually launch an all-out nuclear war using such tactical weapons.
But Russia could use smaller, tactical nuclear devices instead of larger strategic missiles.
“Maybe the Russians don’t see it as crossing this great nuclear threshold,” says Patricia Lewis, head of the international security program at the Chatham House think tank.
“They may see it as part of their traditional strength.”
Should you be worried about Putin’s nuclear threats?
In February 2022, just before invading Ukraine, President Putin put Russia’s nuclear forces in “special combat readiness” and conducted high-level nuclear exercises.
More recently, the Russian leader said: “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will undoubtedly use all available means to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff.”
Russia plans to annex the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, which it has occupied. The Kremlin plans to hold so-called referendums to create separatist “people’s republics”, and Putin says he is ready to defend “by any means” the “territorial integrity” of the regions.
US intelligence sees these moves as a way to prevent the West from helping Ukraine, and not as a sign that it is planning a nuclear war.
But others fear that Russia may be tempted to use a lower-density nuclear weapon as a “game changer” in Ukraine to break a stalemate or avoid defeat, should there be further setbacks.
James Acton, nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank, says: “What does he want? We’re not there yet.”
How did the US respond?
US President Joe Biden has warned Russia of the consequences of using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.
In an interview with CBS News, Biden said such a move would “change the face of war like nothing since the Second World War” and “result as a result”.
It is difficult to predict how the US and NATO will respond to any nuclear maneuver. They may not want to escalate the situation and risk all-out nuclear war, but they may want to draw a line.
However, Russia may also be deterred from using tactical nuclear weapons by another power, China.
“Russia relies heavily on Chinese support,” says Heather Williams, a nuclear specialist at Kings College London.
“But China has a ‘use it first’ nuclear doctrine. So if Putin used them, it would be incredibly difficult for China to support him.”
“Probably would have lost China.”
– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63002873.
source: Noticias
