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The world’s five major nuclear powers are teetering “on the brink of immediate armed conflict”, Russia has claimed, warning of catastrophic consequences. Accusing the West of “provocation”, Moscow stepped up its nuclear rhetoric, pointing to “irresponsible and brazen actions aimed at undermining our national security”. The foreign ministry statement said avoiding nuclear conflict was the country’s top priority and that Russia stood by a joint statement with the US, China, Britain and France in January affirming their shared responsibility to avoid nuclear war . However, he warned that the West must stop “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences.” He added: “We are convinced that in the present complex and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and brazen actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military conflict of nuclear forces.” Moscow has been behind a surge in nuclear rhetoric since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Western officials say, most recently repeatedly accusing Kyiv of planning to use a radioactive “dirty bomb” without providing evidence. Kyiv has denied having such a plan. “We fully reaffirm our commitment to the joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states to prevent nuclear war and avoid an arms race from January 3, 2022,” the ministry said. During the first weekend of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin put the country’s strategic nuclear weapons forces on high alert and has since repeated the threat as a warning to NATO. Moscow has repeatedly stated that its military doctrine allows for the use of nuclear weapons if Russia’s territorial integrity is threatened. In September, Putin said he was “not bluffing” when he said Russia was ready to use “all available means” to defend its territory. He also argued that the US had set a precedent at the end of World War II when it dropped atomic bombs on Japan. Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechen region and a key Putin ally, called on Russia to use a “low-yield nuclear weapon” in Ukraine. Moscow also frequently accuses Kyiv of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and claims that at the start of the war NATO planned to use Ukraine as a bridgehead to threaten Russia – claims denied by Ukraine and the Western military alliance. Some Western experts fear that Putin may resort to nuclear weapons, as an easy victory seems out of reach for him. They believe the president has been weakened, making Russia potentially more dangerous and with no apparent signs of a “plan B.” At the time of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s nuclear stockpile was estimated by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at approximately 4,477 warheads, of which approximately 1,588 were strategic warheads that could be deployed on ballistic missiles and on heavy bomber bases, with approximately 977 strategic warheads and 1,912 non-strategic warheads held in reserve. Responding to speculation in August that the Kremlin might resort to nuclear weapons, Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, described it as “an absolute lie.” “From a military point of view, there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve the goals. The main purpose of Russian nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack,” he said. Additional reporting by Reuters
