President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine it would be considered a significant escalation of the war.

Putin, speaking just days before a March 15-17 election which is certain to give him another six years in power, said the nuclear war scenario was not “rushing” up and he saw no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” Putin, 71, told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA in response to a question whether the country was really ready for a nuclear war.

Putin said the U.S. understood that if it deployed American troops on Russian territory - or to Ukraine - Russia would treat the move as an intervention.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    111·
    9 months ago

    I’m rather more afraid of a guy with just one than I am a guy with enough to wipe out the entire world.

    the guy with just one is more likely to use it.

    but, I’m not convinced russia’s capability isn’t critically degraded. they have warheads, sure, but do they have the incredibly expensive and difficult-to-maintain delivery systems?

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
      31·
      9 months ago

      It’s a question of numbers and volume … the US or the Russians can stop a dozen maybe 20 long range nuclear weapons of whatever type. If North Korean launched everything they had, the US will likely be able to take all of them down if they were aimed at the US. One, two or three may make it through but I don’t think so, the US has hundreds of anti-missile systems so they have lots of chances to take stuff down.

      The scary scenario is with the Russians … each side will launch thousands of weapons, dummy weapons, anti-missile, and actual missile systems … in all out warfare, they’ll fill the sky with all kinds of equipment to counter, counter-counter, counter-counter-counter systems and it all will still mean hundreds of nuclear weapons will make it to their target.

    • maynarkh@feddit.nl
      2·
      9 months ago

      Well, before the war they were the prime provider for orbital launches, so … maybe?

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        9 months ago

        They had space know how.

        But look at the relative budgets set aside for the nukes. No way they’re maintaining dedicated equipment.

        To be clear, we can’t plan on that, especially since there are other ways to deliver a nuke. (Ie simply by handing it to terrorists; and letting them smuggle it into a target…)