An article from a Danish newspaper translated with DeepL.
Crazy nuclear threat in prime time: - Empty vessels make the most sound
A well-known political commentator on Russian state TV raises the possibility of a nuclear attack in Europe, but a defence expert urges calm
Russia should drop nuclear bombs in Europe if Nato interferes in Ukraine.
In addition, Putin should consider invading Nato countries Poland and/or Lithuania to form a corridor to the Russian city of Kaliningrad, which is cut off from Russia by the Baltic Sea.
These are just some of the frightening scenarios discussed earlier this week in one of Russia's most popular political debate programmes.
Nothing left
A clip from Russian state TV shows well-known Russian commentator Sergei Mikheyev talking about what could happen if Nato interferes in Russia's invasion of Ukraine: it would spark a nuclear war.
- Brave Poles. In 30 minutes, there will be nothing left of Warsaw (Poland's capital, ed.), he says, among other things.
Mikheyev also threatens Germany and the Baltic states, saying Russia should invade Poland and/or Lithuania.
- I know there are serious problems in Kaliningrad on the border. Perhaps it is appropriate to establish a corridor to Kaliningrad, the commentator asks.
The clip has been widely shared on Twitter, for example. Among others by Weekendavisens Russia and Ukraine correspondent, Andrey Kazankov.
Expert: Calm down
But while the nuclear debate may cause nervous twitches in the West, President Vladimir Putin is a long way from words to action.
This is the assessment of Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Swedish Defence Academy and expert in international politics:
'Things are not going well (for Russia, ed.) on the battlefield. But remember that
empty vessels make the most sound - that's also the case with Danish commentators', he begins in an email response to Ekstra Bladet.
'Instead, I take note of the authoritative statement by the Russian government spokesman, who said yesterday that Russia only uses nuclear weapons if their existence is at stake. That is not exactly the case in Ukraine', it continues.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen points out that the spokesman for the Russian leadership, Dmitry Peskov, said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that Russia would only use nuclear weapons if its existence was threatened.
Putin has previously increased the readiness of the country's 'deterrent forces' during the Ukraine war. This covers, among other things, nuclear weapons.
Translated with
www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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