Vladimir Putin needs to turn to nuclear weapons to end NATO support to Ukraine, a leading Russian propagandist has said.
Putin has been fuelling nuclear fears since shortly after the start of his invasion of Ukraine as he placed the country’s nuclear arsenal on high alert.
Solovyov is one of several members of Putin’s support circle, including former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who has suggested persistent Western support to Kyiv could evolve into a nuclear conflict.
In a recent episode of his radio show, the Russian propagandist noted NATO chiefs have warned of impending war with Russia but he dismissed the idea the conflict would be conducted using conventional weapons.
In a clip translated by the Daily Beast’s Julia Davis, Solovyov said: “For some reason, NATO members have a feeling, as one Czech commander said, that they are ready for a war with Russia and this war will be waged with non-nuclear means.
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In September 2022 Putin said Russia would be open to using nuclear weapons to defend its “territorial integrity.”
While he has made no further comments on the use of nuclear weapons, the topic has been regularly discussed by his allies and on Russian television.
Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said last month Moscow could use nuclear weapons if Ukraine were to strike missile launch sites on Russian soil using Western-provided rockets.
The former Prime Minister argued Kyiv’s attacks would violate paragraph 19 of Russia’s 2020 nuclear doctrine – and result in considerable consequences.
Reuters reports the paragraph states that Moscow could employ nuclear weapons in response to an attack carried out using nuclear or weapons of mass destruction “when the very existence of the state is put under threat.”
