"Rhetoric" in quotes because it may not be just that. I have not been posting much, partly because had a wedding for daughter, Sasha, last weekend, but also because I am seriously demoralized by the current situation, and every time I think I have something intelligent to say about the economics of it, that seems to keep changing, although I shall soon.
Anyway, I have to get off my chest what I have heard from my wife, Marina, coming out of Russian language sources, not reported in English language media. This is from an hour and a half presentation by a man named Padkin (don't know first name and googling does not bring him up, maybe spelling off) who apparently heads something in Moscow called the Foundation for Conceptual Technology, which also does not come up on a google. Anyway, this guy was calling for the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons against NATO members, more specifically against Ankara, Turkey where drones are being produced that the Ukrainians have been successfully using against the Russian military, and also against two air bases in Poland that have been used to ship arms to the Ukrainians. About the only good thing that can be said about his broadcast is that he said warnings should be sent first so that civilians can be removed.
I do not know how this is gong to end, but that high level Russians are talking like this in public is very bad news. I note that it was a Russian TV anchor back in 2014 who was the first person in a major nuclear power since 1962 to talk about using nuclear weapons openly and seriously after the essentially wimply economic sanctions were imposed after Russia annexed Crimea. That guy talked about how dare the US do such a thing when Russia could "incinerate New York City."
Barkley Rosser
A cornered animal can be even more verocious, so this is concerning.
ReplyDeletePutin can't just press a button and launch nukes. He gives the order, which means providing a code. The Minister of Defense (Shoigu) and equivalent of Joint Chiefs of Staff (Gerasimov) then add their own codes. Those two have not looked happy in recent meetings with Putin. If NATO ever signals that one nuke means massive retaliation, my guess is that Shoigu and Gerasimov will step back from the brink.
ReplyDeleteI think an order for a strategic use would not be obeyed and might well lead to Putin being replaced. But there is a new type of small tactical nuke that Russia has that I fear Putin might be tempted to use, although I think he would be reluctant to use them on any NATO nations. Heck, so far he has scrupulously avoided using any weapons on any of them.
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