Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia’s nuclear power.
Moscow:
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia has successfully tested a powerful new strategic missile and refused to rule out the possibility that it could conduct weapons tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time in more than three decades.
Putin said for the first time that Moscow had successfully tested the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile with a potential range of many thousands of kilometers.
He also told an annual gathering of analysts and journalists that Russia had nearly completed work on its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system, another key element of its new generation of nuclear weapons.
Putin, who has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia’s nuclear power since launching his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, said no one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia.
If such an attack were detected, he said, “such a number of our missiles – hundreds, hundreds – would appear in the sky that no enemy would have a chance of survival.”
Russia has not conducted a nuclear explosion test since 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Putin refused to rule out the possibility that it could resume such tests.
He noted that the United States had not ratified the treaty banning nuclear testing, while Russia had both signed and ratified it. It would be theoretically possible that the Duma, Russia’s parliament, could revoke its ratification, he said.
Military analysts say a resumption of nuclear testing by Russia, the United States or both would be deeply destabilizing at a time when tensions between the two countries are higher than at any time in the past six decades. In February, Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, which limits the number of nuclear weapons either side can deploy.
But according to Putin, there was no need for Russia to rewrite its doctrine on the actual use of nuclear weapons, which says it can fire them in response to a nuclear attack on it or in the event of a threat to the survival of nuclear weapons. stands.
Responding to a question from Russian analyst Sergei Karaganov, who has advocated lowering the threshold for nuclear use, Putin said: “I simply don’t see the need for this.”
He added: “There is currently no situation where, for example, something would threaten the Russian state and the survival of the Russian state. No. I don’t think any person with a sane mind and a clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia.”
Karaganov has raised eyebrows among both Russian and Western strategic analysts by arguing that it is time for Russia to lower the threshold for nuclear use to “contain, frighten and sober our adversaries.”
He wrote in a recent article that Russia should “shake up” its enemies by threatening nuclear attacks on European countries and American bases in Europe.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
