Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has not hesitated to engage in the Soviet tactic of nuclear blackmail, repeatedly threatening to deploy weapons of mass destruction should the west extend its defensive aid to Ukraine to physical intervention.
This week, the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg reported, President Putin asserted that Russia wouldn’t need to use nuclear weapons to achieve victory in Ukraine.
This statement was made during an interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, often referred to as “Russia’s Davos.”
The interviewer, Sergei Karaganov, a hawkish Russian foreign policy expert who previously called for a pre-emptive nuclear strike, suggested using a “nuclear pistol” against the West over Ukraine.
Compared to Karaganov’s extreme stance, President Putin appeared relatively moderate but maintained a firm position.
He did not dismiss the possibility of altering Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which outlines the conditions for using nuclear weapons.
He stated, “This doctrine is a living tool, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world around us and do not exclude making changes to this doctrine. This is also related to the testing of nuclear weapons.”
Putin also warned European countries supporting Ukraine, highlighting that Russia possesses many more tactical nuclear weapons than are present on the European continent, even if the United States were to deploy theirs.
He added, “Europe does not have a developed [early warning system]. In this sense, they are more or less defenseless.”
Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller warheads designed to destroy targets without causing widespread radioactive fallout.
The St. Petersburg forum has been marked by a stark contrast between its message of international economic cooperation and the reality of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Despite the forum’s business-as-usual facade, Russia remains heavily sanctioned and engaged in a conflict now in its third year, heightening tensions with the West.
Earlier in the week, during a meeting with international news agency chiefs in St. Petersburg, President Putin suggested that Russia might supply advanced conventional long-range weapons to other nations to target Western interests.
This was in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons.
Putin reiterated this idea in St Petersburg, stating, “We are not supplying those weapons yet, but we reserve the right to do so to those states or legal entities which are under certain pressure, including military pressure, from the countries that supply weapons to Ukraine and encourage their use on Russian territory.”
No specific countries or entities were named, leaving open the question of where Russia might deploy its missiles.
Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent host on Russian state TV, elaborated, saying, “Wherever we think it is necessary, we’re definitely going to put them. As President Putin made clear, we’ll investigate this question.
“If you are trying to harm us, you have to be pretty sure we have enough opportunities and chances to harm you.”
When asked about the potential for this to be another instance of Russia’s sabre-rattling, Solovyov responded, “It’s always a bluff. Until the time when it is not.
“You can keep thinking that Russia is bluffing and then, one day, there is no more Great Britain to laugh at. Don’t you ever try to push the Russian bear thinking that ‘Oh, it’s a kitten, we can play with it.’”
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