By the end of 2022, Russia was apparently on the verge of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. As US media reveal, the US was already “strictly” preparing for this eventuality. No hypothetical threat: Intercepted, highly confidential communications were a concern.
In the autumn of 2022, Russia was cornered by the conflict with Ukraine: Ukraine made major territorial gains in its counter-offensive in Eastern Ukraine. Moscow’s biggest war trophy, occupied Kherson, was in danger of being recaptured by Ukraine. The tide seemed to have turned: reason enough for the Kremlin to consider the use of nuclear weapons.
Biden warned of the first use of a nuclear weapon since 1945
The New York Times reported that intercepted, top-secret communications indicated that Moscow at the time was seriously considering turning its nuclear attack threats into an actual plan. In October 2022, US President Joe Biden even warned his party colleagues about this possibility – it was the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis that a nuclear attack would have been threatened if the situation had remained the same. Biden is said to have specifically spoken about the first use of a nuclear weapon since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1945, Japanese cities were attacked by the US.
Conventional weapons were discussed as countermeasures
Government working groups have already discussed a possible response to this possibility. A countermeasure did not have to involve nuclear weapons, but it was believed that a drastic response was necessary – such as a direct attack on the Russian nuclear weapons unit with conventional weapons.
US official: Risk ‘wasn’t just hypothetical’
“That is what the conflict has shown us. “I think it is our right to prepare rigorously and do everything we can to prevent that,” a senior US official said, according to CNN. The risk “was not only hypothetical, but also based on information we had gathered,” said a second government official, who continued: “We had to plan in such a way that in the event that this no longer unthinkable event actually occurred” in the best possible position.”
At the time, Russia spread propaganda that Ukraine had a “dirty bomb.” That image could have been used to justify a Russian nuclear attack, US officials suspected. The risk that Russia will use nuclear weapons has by no means been averted: “It is entirely possible that we will be confronted with this increasing danger again in the coming months,” US government sources said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
