An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a new nuclear warning for Ukraine and the West on Tuesday as Russia enters the fifth and final day of the referendums, which it has declared the start of its annexation of four Ukrainian territories.
Moscow’s latest controversy includes an investigation by European countries into unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea that would hinder efforts to retake the mainline carrying Russian gas to Germany.
The Kremlin, which blames technical problems for Russia’s previous cuts in gas supplies to Europe, said it could not rule out the sabotage, but declined to say by whom, and called for an investigation.
Russia’s confrontation with the West has increased global inflation and fueled energy and food crises in many countries since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which was met with harsh Western sanctions and Russian retaliatory measures.
Tuesday’s nuclear warning from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, is one of several issued by Putin and his allies in recent weeks.
Analysts say they aim to deter Ukraine and the West, implying that they are ready to use tactical nuclear weapons to defend the newly annexed region, where Russian forces have faced heavy Ukrainian counteroffensive in recent weeks.
Medvedev’s warning predicted for the first time that unlike before, even if Moscow attacked Ukraine with nuclear weapons, the NATO military alliance would not risk a nuclear war by entering directly into the Ukrainian war.
“I believe NATO will not directly intervene in the conflict even in this scenario,” Medvedev wrote in a Telegram post. Said.
“Demagogues in the ocean and in Europe will not die in a nuclear apocalypse.”
Referendums to annex Ukrainian territories
Voting on Russia’s membership in four Ukrainian regions partially controlled by Moscow – Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia – has entered its fifth and final day. The West has said it will not recognize the results, which it sees as illegal fraudulent referendums.
Russian government officials have repeatedly warned that they could use nuclear weapons to defend the new region if Kyiv forces, which already control part of it, try to take what Moscow says it will soon consider to be its sovereign territory.
NATO and the United States did not publicly explain how they would respond to Russia’s nuclear attack on Ukraine, but White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS on Sunday that Washington had described what he described as “catastrophic consequences” to Moscow. ” ” to Russia.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick that Ukraine is preparing for the possibility of a Russian nuclear attack, but it is the responsibility of nuclear-armed states to stop Russia.
“Where exactly should we send people in the event of a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine?” He asked. “This is why the use of nuclear weapons is a global security issue – it’s not just about Ukraine anymore.”
In the same interview, Podolyak said that Ukrainians who helped Russia organize the annexation referendums would face charges of treason and at least five years in prison.
source: Noticias
