<
https://theconversation.com/are-vladimir-putins-nuclear-threats-a-bluff-in-a-word-probably-187689>
"Russian President Vladimir Putin habitually rattles his nuclear sabres when
things start looking grim for Moscow, and has done so long before his
ill-advised invasion of Ukraine.
In February 2008, he promised to target Ukraine with nuclear weapons if the
United States stationed missile defences there. In August the same year, he
threatened a nuclear war if Poland hosted the same system. In 2014, Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Russia would consider nuclear strikes if
Ukraine tried to retake Crimea.
A year later, the Kremlin said it would target Danish warships with nuclear
missiles if they participated in NATO defence systems. And within the space of
a few months – in December 2018 and February 2019 – Putin warned the US that
nuclear war was possible, and then promised to target the American mainland if
it deployed nuclear weapons in Europe.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has waggled its nuclear arsenal so
many times it’s starting to become tedious. Even the most peripheral slight is
apparently fair game, like former President Dmitry Medvedev’s invocation of
nuclear retaliation if the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursued war
crimes investigations against Russian soldiers."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
