Russia Threatens Nuclear Response if West Becomes Involved in Ukraine Conflict
MOSCOW: Russia would not hesitate to use all weapons in its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if its Kaliningrad exclave were attacked.
President Vladimir Putin therefore warned Western countries against escalating the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin said Moscow had no plans to attack any European country but was prepared to respond to any Western aggression if necessary.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, he also referred to Kaliningrad, a Russian territory situated between NATO members Poland and Lithuania.
The warning came after NATO conducted military exercises near Kaliningrad, which the alliance described as defensive drills aimed at strengthening deterrence.
The exercises raised concerns in Moscow, which warned in late September that it would take retaliatory measures if NATO attempted to blockade Kaliningrad by air or sea.
“Exercises in the Baltic Sea, carried out one after another… Then attempts to detain our ships and vessels. All of this is an escalation of tensions. After that, we began hearing statements about the Kaliningrad region,” he said.
He warned that any direct attack on Russia, including Kaliningrad or other Russian territories, would raise the possibility of Moscow using all weapons in its arsenal.
“If there is a direct attack on the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and perhaps some other territories, then of course the question of using all the weapons in our country’s arsenal will be on the agenda. This is inevitable,” he said.
NATO, several European countries and the United Kingdom have accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against them, including through cyberattacks, sabotage and alleged espionage attempts aimed at weakening their support for Ukraine.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a “special military operation”, is now in its fifth year. Putin, however, has shown no signs of slowing the offensive, instead intensifying attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and its capital, Kyiv, ahead of what is expected to be an extremely cold winter.
However, recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have caused widespread fuel shortages, challenging the perception that the effects of the conflict are not being felt by ordinary Russians.
CNN