Hamish De Bretton-Gordon said: “It would be incredible for Putin to use nuclear weapons routinely. Yet Putin continues to do the unbelievable. “So I don’t think we can assume that he won’t use those kinds of weapons. “Also, he appointed Sergei Surovikin – the general of Armageddon, as he is known – whom I saw very closely in Syria in recent years.” Mr De Bretton-Gordon added that while it would be “crazy” for Moscow to use biological and nuclear weapons, he warned that “we have to take them seriously”. “The talk recently about dirty bombs is really the most important area to focus on because Putin said he was going to turn off the lights and turn off the heating in Ukraine, and all the attacks in the last few days have really reinforced that,” he said. . “But at the beginning of this war, 60% of that electricity and heat came from nuclear. “I’m really worried that the Russians are losing this war and Putin can’t afford to lose it. “The biggest threat I think is further blackouts and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, which Putin has said he will do. “To do that, he has to blow them up or set them on fire.” Russian soldiers deployed with ‘minimal training’ Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 3:22 What is a tactical nuclear weapon? Mr De Bretton-Gordon’s comments came as retired Air Force Vice-Marshal Sean Bell explained to Sky News that some Russian soldiers are appearing on the front line without weapons. “The Russians announced the other day that they have completed their partial mobilization of about 300,000 troops, but of course, they need to get them to the front line as quickly as possible,” he said. “They get there with minimal training. It turns out that now some are turning to the front lines without weapons. Some come with very old weapons. “The AK-m assault rifle was first introduced in 1959. It is the most common of the Kalashnikov-class weapons and this seems to be given to new recruits. Read more: Putin ‘would be crazy’ to use nuclear weapons “But that was replaced by the AK 75 back in the 70s, that’s what Russia’s mainstream uses. “It was replaced because it uses a smaller bullet with the same charge, which goes faster and is more accurate. “And it’s not just the equipment, it’s the logistical challenge – you have two different guns, two different parts and two different lots of ammunition. “I’m sure winter can’t come soon enough for the Russians.”
