Putin Threatens Nuclear Attack If West Doesn't Back Off

We learned yesterday that a top Putin ally is threatening that he will use nuclear weapons if the West doesn't back off the Ukraine war.

They warn that striving for a Ukrainian victory would lead to nuclear strikes on “Kyiv, Berlin, London, Washington,” as well as an apocalyptic civil war in Russia with “tens of millions” dead.

Be informed, not misled.

The threat

Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who was also formerly the Prime Minister and President of Russia in service to Vladimir Putin, has threatened Western capitals with the “entire strategic arsenal” of Russian nuclear weapons. Medvedev, for whom absolutely no slight is too small to necessitate a nuclear response, was speaking of Ukraine’s hope to retake its U.N.-recognized national territory, which in some cases has been occupied by Russia for very close to ten years.

Russia has amended its constitution and now considers those areas — Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia — to be full parts of the Russian Republic. Attempting to push the borders back to where they were before will invite a massive retaliation, Medvedev said in his latest threat on Sunday, making clear he sees the Western states aiding Ukraine with arms as legitimate targets.

He says, "Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to only one thing. To a global war with Western countries using the entire strategic arsenal of our state. In Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington.”

Claiming “beautiful historical places” would be destroyed by Russia’s nuclear weapons, Medvedev suggested it would be better for the forces trying to roll back Russia’s war against Ukraine should stand down “before it’s too late”

Medvedev continued, per Russian state media: “The direct and irreversible collapse of present-day Russia… a violent civil war with the final disappearance of our country from the world map. Tens of millions of victims. The death of our future. The collapse of everything in the world.”

The response

Some in the US are brushing off the remarks as intended to whip up more support from the domestic public in Russia who are generally growing weary of the war with Ukraine.

In the case of such unrest, Medvedev again warned the West that the disincentives for Russia launching its nuclear weapons would evaporate.

The New York Post said this on Sunday:

A close ally of Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Russia will launch Armageddon by nuking cities such as Washington and London if Moscow is forced to give up Ukrainian territory it has taken over, according to reports.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council and a former Russian president and prime minister, threatened that the US and its allies would pay the ultimate price if Russia is forced to retreat.

“Attempts to restore Russia’s 1991 borders will lead only to one thing — a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

He has made threats like these before, but who but God Himself really knows the heart and mind of Putin?  

It's ironic that during a conference in Munich, Germany, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Chinese and Indian counterparts about the possibility of a nuclear weapon orbiting in space that is targeting U.S. satellites. 

According to the New York Times, the detonation of the nuclear weapon would harm Chinese and Indian satellites, resulting in “disconnection” and global communications failure. 

The deployment of nuclear weapons would destroy emergency services to cell phones and the regulation of generators and petrol pumps to stop working. Debris from the nuclear explosion would also make its way into Earth’s orbit, making navigation nearly impossible for things such as Starlink satellites used for Internet communications and spy satellites.

Blinken said on Saturday that Russia’s potential use of a nuclear weapon in space poses a significant national security threat.

The New York Times said this:

"Putting a nuclear weapon in space is in violation of an over 50-year treaty that has so far stopped the proliferation of weapons into the region. Besides telecommunications concerns, Blinken also warned that debris from the possible nuclear explosions would pose a threat to low-earth orbit navigation, putting further satellite operations at risk. Blinken spoke with the two officials, believing that Russia would be more likely to listen to them than the U.S. due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s disdain for the country. Russia has been conducting military satellite launches since early 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine first began.

The Times concludes that if Putin or anyone else would violate the 50-year-old agreement to not put nuclear weapons in space, everything would change.

"Ending the Space Treaty could open the floodgates for other countries to put nuclear weapons in space as well,” said Steven Andreasen, a nuclear expert at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis. “Once you have orbital nuclear weapons, you can use them for more than taking out satellites.”

Takeaway

Rasmussen published a new survey yesterday in which they found a plurality of voters think President Joe Biden hasn’t been aggressive enough in his dealings with Iran, and two-thirds think the current situation could lead to war.

It found that 66% of likely U.S. voters believe increasing tensions in the Middle East between Iran and the United States will likely lead to war, including 24% who see such a war as very likely. Twenty-four percent (24%) don’t think war with Iran is likely. 

Now, there's this matter with Russia.

Should there be a war, does the United States have leadership capable of defending us against the enemy?

Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant, Be Engaged. Be not Afraid. Be Prayerful.