Russian generals are plotting ‘when and how’ to use nukes in Ukraine as Putin’s army collapses, US spies reveal | The Sun

FRUSTRATED Russian generals have discussed the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to senior US officials.

In alarming scenes, Vladimir Putin's officials are believed to have spoken about when and how Moscow might use such a nuke, following a series of Russian setbacks on the battlefield.

President Putin was reportedly not part of the conversations in the Kremlin, which come against a backdrop of increasingly tense nuclear rhetoric between Russia and the West.

John F Kirby, a National Security Council official, declined to comment on "the particulars" of the language used by Vlad's insiders but added: "We've been clear from the outset that Russia's comments about the potential use of nuclear weapons are deeply concerning, and we take them seriously.

"We continue to monitor this as best we can, and we see no indications that Russia is making preparations for such use."

Russia's terrifying nuclear arsenal is believed to contain up to 6,000 warheads, enough to cause worldwide devastation and between 200 to 300 million casualties.

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That includes as many as 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, designed to be used on the battlefield to overwhelm conventional forces.

Such weapons have never been used in combat before but could be deployed in various ways, such as by artillery shells or missiles.

Even the use of a smaller tactical nuke could kill thousands and leave parts of Ukraine uninhabitable for years to come.

The Kremlin has also increasingly spread baseless rumours that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb" – a conventional explosive tipped with radioactive material.

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On Wednesday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu accused Ukraine of committing "nuclear blackmail" on his country.

"The United States and European countries defiantly ignore elements of nuclear blackmail by the Ukrainian authorities, for example, provocations against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," he said.

He also claimed Kyiv was ready to deploy NATO nuclear weapons on its territory.

Speaking at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, he added: "We know about Kyiv's attempts to create a 'dirty' nuclear bomb, as well as about its readiness to place nuclear weapons of NATO countries on its territory."

He also falsely claimed that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had "called on Western countries to launch preventative nuclear strikes against Russia".

Shoigu has recently been in conversation with US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III in a bid to lower nuclear tensions.

Russia's comments about the potential use of nuclear weapons are deeply concerning, and we take them seriously

Last week, Russia tested its nuclear-capable missiles as part of its annual military exercises.

But Austin insisted that the US doesn't believe the manoeuvres were part of a "cover activity" to use a tactical nuke in the war in Ukraine.

"We have not seen anything to indicate that Putin has made a decision to use a dirty bomb," he told reporters at the Pentagon last Thursday.

But he added that the Biden administration was "concerned about escalation" in the conflict.

"It would be the first time a nuclear weapon has been used in over 70 years," he said.

"If this happened, we have been clear from the very beginning that you would see a very significant response from the international community."

All you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Everything you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…

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In a speech last Thursday, Putin denied Moscow was preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

"We see no need for that," he said in his speech. "There is no point in that, neither political nor military."

However, in the same address, he appeared to cackle like a Bond villain after making a sick threat about a nuclear apocalypse.

The past month has seen increasing nuclear sabre-rattling by the Kremlin, with sources claiming Russia may detonate a bomb on its border to send a message to the West.

Putin's annexing of four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia – could also be used as justification for transporting Russian nukes into Ukrainian territory.

Experts have warned that there are five ways Putin could detonate a nuclear bomb if he were to take the conflict in a dangerous direction.

Speaking on Bill Press Pods, Joseph Cirincione from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington DC said: "The first possibility is you would use a nuclear weapon in a demonstration shot, so you would fire something into the Black Sea, for example."

In a second scenario, Putin could look to unleash a "very low-yield weapon" on a Ukrainian military target – a tactical nuke.

The third possibility would be a devastating nuclear attack on a major Ukrainian city, similar to the bombs the US dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

This would likely trigger NATO strikes on Russian bases, which could in turn lead to the fourth step – the Russian targetting of NATO sites with nuclear weapons.

A fifth and final stage, Cirincione explained, would be the Russian firing of long-range nuclear missiles on the US, leading to an all-out nuclear war.

At this stage, he added: "All bets are off."

All of these scenarios are uncharted territory for the world, but experts have warned that Putin would "sacrifice 20 million Russians" to win the war in Ukraine, as his battle plans for a quick and easy invasion lie in tatters.

Speaking on Sky News, exiled Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev said of Putin: "He is not smart, he is just lucky. Now I think his luck is over.

"You should have no doubt about it, he may sacrifice 10 or 20 million Russians just to win this war just to slaughter all Ukrainians because it's a matter of principle.

"It's a matter of political survival to him. You have to understand that, if he loses the war, it will be the end for him."

Time also may be running out for the ageing dictator to secure his legacy, who is suspected to be failing health-wise.

Rumours are continuing to fly about Putin's health, with leaked spy documents claiming the 70-year-old tyrant has early-stage Parkinson's disease and pancreatic cancer.

In emails seen by The Sun Online, a Russian intelligence source close to the Kremlin claimed: "Putin is regularly stuffed with all kinds of heavy steroids and innovative painkilling injections to stop the spread of pancreatic cancer he was recently diagnosed with.

"It not only causes a lot of pain, Putin has a state of puffiness of the face and other side effects – including memory lapses.

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"In his close circle, there are rumours that in addition to pancreatic cancer, which is gradually spreading, Putin also has prostate cancer."

The Kremlin has always denied that there is anything wrong with Putin's health.

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