No announcements that NATO countries are preparing nuclear attacks on Russia
Recently, Moscow’s threats of using nuclear weapons have become more frequent, while the Kremlin disinformation machinery on social networks is trying to accuse NATO of “preparing for a nuclear attack on Russia,” although there are no such announcements but just threats aiming to prevent the assistance for Ukraine coming from NATO member states
Recently, Moscow’s threats of using nuclear weapons have become more frequent, while the Kremlin disinformation machinery on social networks is trying to accuse NATO of “preparing for a nuclear attack on Russia,” although there are no such announcements but just threats aiming to prevent the assistance for Ukraine coming from NATO member states
We are fact-checking a post on the social network Facebook stating the following:
“NATO countries are preparing for possible nuclear attacks on Russia, warned a high-ranking Moscow general. Are you ready to fry in Europe? Ready or not, the USA decides for you. But, look at the “bright” side. It won’t hurt much. You’ll just see an explosion and you will turn into dust within a second.“
Newsweek published General Vladimir Kulishov’s statement, the head of the border service of Russia’s main intelligence agency, telling RIA Novosti that Moscow was concerned about an increase in NATO activities near the Russian border. He accused NATO countries of preparing to conduct nuclear strikes on Russian territory as tensions between the Kremlin and the Alliance continue to grow.
However, further in the statement, he says that “scenarios for conducting hostilities against the Russian Federation are being worked out, including nuclear strikes on our territory”.
Despite Kulishov’s comment, there is no announcement of NATO countries attacking Russia on Russian territory with nuclear weapons. What coincides with Kulishov’s comment is the statement given by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordering his military to practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons after Moscow said that they were “threats from the West”.
Parallel to the increased “nuclear weapons” rhetoric, the Kremlin and its propagandists have framed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a proxy war between Moscow and the West, frequently criticizing NATO for securing assistance for Kyiv. Putin warned that ”there will be a nuclear war risk if NATO deploys troops in Ukraine”, back in February following the statement made by the French President, Emmanuel Macron that sending Western ground forces to Ukraine in the future should not be ruled out”.
Poland expressed willingness to be part of NATO’s Nuclear Sharing program which is part of the Alliance’s nuclear deterrence policy. The United States controls the use of these weapons. Since November 2009, under Nuclear Sharing, American nuclear weapons have been located in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye. Due to Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Poland is interested in participating in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing program, which is part of nuclear deterrence.
But this is to strengthen Poland’s security and defense in case Russia strikes a NATO country, not to use NATO weapons to attack Russia.
Deputy Minister of National Defence of Poland, Pawel Zalewski said the following:
“We are all supporters of strengthening Poland’s security in every possible way, this issue on the one hand should be the subject of an agreement within NATO, and on the other hand, it should be the subject of an internal agreement.”
“Russia believes that the entire long-range weaponry used by Ukraine is already under the direct supervision of the NATO member states troops. This is not military assistance; this is participation in the war against us. Such actions can become casus belli (war causing act – reason for war),” said Dmitry Medvedev.
It was Putin himself, as covered by Truthmeter, who ordered drills with units possessing tactical nuclear weapons. Most Macedonian media outlets relayed the news from Western agencies, which cited the Russian Defence Ministry’s announcement. Only one media outlet stressed in its headline that “Putin was threatening with nuclear weapons”.
In this context, some Macedonian media reported on the statement by the Russian Ambassador to the USA, Anatoly Antonov, for Russian media, claiming that the drill order was enforced by Moscow.
“This enforced measure is a response to the arrogant and aggressive politics of the collective West that creates unacceptable security threats for Russia and its citizens,” said Antonov.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg rejected Putin’s warnings about alleged escalations if Ukraine was allowed to use Western weapons on targets within Russian territory.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO had heard such warnings many times in the past and that defense was not escalation.
“This is nothing new. It has … been the case for a long time that every time NATO allies are providing support to Ukraine, President Putin is trying to threaten us to not do that. And an escalation – well, Russia has escalated by invading another country,” said Stoltenberg.
As reported by Reuters, U.S. President Joe Biden approved the use of U.S. weapons provided to Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia, sites that were used to attack the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. According to Biden, Washington’s move was a strategy for battlefield adaptation, necessary due to Moscow’s attacks on Kharkiv. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine located 30 kilometers from the Russian border.
Due to all of the above-noted facts, we assess that there is no evidence that NATO countries are preparing nuclear strikes on Russia.
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