"The very existence of Russia is at stake today."

[Yorkie Mom]

Link to tweet

Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinksy has just said: "The very existence of Russia is at stake today. This is the greatest challenge in history and we need to act on that challenge." The Kremlin has said it will only use nuclear weapons, if Russia's existence is threatened.

Reminder:

Link to tweet

⚡️Russian deputy ambassador to the UN: Russia retains right to use nuclear weapons if “provoked” by NATO.

In an interview with Sky News on March 24, Dmitry Polyanskiy said that Putin could use nuclear weapons if the country feels it is facing an “existential” threat.

[lapfog_1]

1. we should announce that all such statements

are both untrue... and give us the right to consider a first use strike to remove the threat of Russian nuclear forces.

[NNadir]

6. No one, ever, should consider a first strike with nuclear weapons.

[lapfog_1]

8. you are correct...

but that is what they are telegraphing over and over.

[NNadir]

10. Nevertheless the appropriate response to a specious, desperate...

...threat is not to issue a ratcheting threat to excite the existing threat.

The MAD scenario is still in place at least until, post Trump/Putin we can further move toward nuclear disarmament. A key opportunity that was missed in the early 90s is that we didn't have the ability or infrastructure to utilize plutonium in our reactors.

[PortTack]

24. Thing is pootie and the ruskies make threats, President Biden makes promises. If they weren't

Aware of that b4 this war, they are now. If we started making veiled threats it would possibly further escalate things

[PortTack]

23. Since the civil war this country has had a no first strike policy

[dalton99a]

2. "Everybody is treating Russia very badly. It is very unfair"

[Stuart G]

3. If Putin uses "nuclear weapons" he will go down in history as the worst leader....

of a modern nation ..."EVER!!!".

Will he use them? ................................................................................................................



....It ain't up to me....That is up to Putin............

[Wounded Bear]

5. If Russia goes nuclear, there may not be anybody to write down the history...

that requires survivors.

[Yorkie Mom]

11. The good news is that there will probably be survivors.

http://www.ki4u.com/goodnews.htm

Want to know how to prepare? http://www.ki4u.com/guide.htm

[Doodley]

14. That assumes limited numbers of small nukes, and not a wipe-out of clean food and water supplies.

[Yorkie Mom]

19. I don't think that's correct.

Important quote at the beginning of the article:

The government is better prepared to direct and assist the public in isolated 'dirty bomb' emergencies, unlike much more serious nuclear weapon attacks below.

[Doodley]

45. Ridiculous to think anyone would survive. There would be no food, no water, no infrastructure, and.

no law and order, no transport, nothing. We would be in a nuclear winter, dark, contaminated, no crops, nothing that we need to survive.

[Calculating]

27. There will be survivors

In southern and third world nations. They would need to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

[KPN]

34. There won't be a history if that happens.

[bullimiami]

4. Russia could have been having a comfortable time alongside the rest of the world.

Even those who didnt agree with how the country was run were willing to deal with it.

If Putins governments existence is threatened they did it to themselves.

The damage is done and will not be quickly undone.
Self-inflicted.

No escalation is going to improve their situation.
None.

[maxsolomon]

13. Great points. It's not Russia's existence that's threatened,

it's Putin's regime and kakistocracy.

Frankly, no one really wants to threaten the existence of Russia - it's mostly flat, boring tundra and boreal forest. Russians are welcome to it.

[relayerbob]

7. They should nuke the source of the threat

But then, the Kremlin is in the middle of a city

[Doodley]

20. And as our missiles head their way, they will hit the button too. Global annihilation!

[relayerbob]

25. By "they", I meant the Russians

Dark humor, sorry.

[KPN]

35. Nuke Putin himself -- he's the source of the threat. Somebody needs to take him out, if only

to save themselves! The world would benefit hugely regardless of the motivation.

[ananda]

9. So you couldn't take over the Ukraine sandbox...

like a spoiled toddler, so now you'll use nukes?

Sheesh

[Woodswalker]

12. I know I'll take flack for this

In this age where everyone is looking at WW3 being inevitable, but is it possible that all this will cool down after Russia gets some kind of neutrality agreement from Ukraine or takes control of Ukraine?

[Yorkie Mom]

15. No flack from me. I hope an agreement can be reach.

I just don't know if it is possible with what Russia is saying.

[lagomorph777]

17. Neither of those outcomes is acceptable (they are actually the same outcome).

So not a relevant question.

[uponit7771]

21. No, because RU political, economic and military position will be worse if they occupied Ukraine.

... Western sanctions wont lift, UKR border will be surrounded by NATO with more members coming in and RU will be even more isolated.

These statements from RU ministers are petulant responses to them getting their asses kicked in UKR and sanctions that will isolate them more than NK by end of summer.

[Mad_Machine76]

29. What are you suggesting?

That Ukraine surrenders? Russia is losing and throwing a tantrum, so Ukraine should surrender?

[KPN]

36. This won't cool down unless or until or Putin is erased from the earth. The threat will only grow

if he gets any concessions whatsoever from Ukraine and the west. Putin would be emboldened and all of us would be foolish to think things have returned to normal, stabilized or cooled off relative to threats to world peace and security presented by Russia.

With Putin gone, that's another story and a far better one.

[David__77]

41. It is possible.

And not for the US to decide one way or the other.

[Doodley]

16. The biggest threat is Putin. We have to work towards a face-saving way out to de-escalate.

[lagomorph777]

18. We don't need to save his face or his ass.

Crush the bastard; he will do it over and over again until we do.

[uponit7771]

22. +1,

[dalton99a]

26. +1. Stop coddling the murderous bully

[KPN]

37. +2! That's 4 total.

[hunter]

28. Russia is no longer capable of supporting itself.

Sooner or later it will be split up just as Germany was split up after World War II. Western Russia will be administered by the European Union and the U.S.A., Eastern Russia will be administered by China. Neither Europe or China will be interested in governing Russia itself, or claiming any territory, but they will remove Russia's nuclear weapons capability and manage its resources by "the magic hand of the free market." (Even communist China has figured out how that works...)

As someone who once served as a KGB officer in East Germany this is, perhaps, Putin's greatest fear. It's ironic that he's brought it upon himself.

[Javaman]

30. hilter was dreaming of super weapons as bombs rained down on his bunker in Berlin

putin, will rain down super weapons as russia collapses.

[FakeNoose]

31. Russia thinks they can deflect our nukes, and we CAN'T deflect theirs

We're pretty sure we can deflect their nukes.

Which one is right? Maybe neither, maybe both?

Hmmmm...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

32. Existential threat despite no Russian territory touched? Nice try. . . nt

[KPN]

38. Russians are paranoid. They lack sufficient self-esteem to believe they can withstand

Europe's "dislike" for Russian authoritarians. They being the Russian authoritarians, not necessarily the people.

[peggysue2]

33. It's not about an existential threat to Russia

It's about an existential threat to Putin.

There are rumors of great discontent within the Russian system and a desire to relieve Putin of his office because of the debacle in Ukraine and whatever else has been going on inside the country--the corruption, the stagnation, etc.

A change of leadership would not mean the end of Russia. It could mean a rebirth.

If these reports are true, Putin and his inner circle are feeling the heat and beginning to flail with their repeated mentions of a nuclear option. We have to hope there are cooler, more reasonable minds inside the country to prevent a doomsday scenario, people who believe mass extinction is a no-go.

Because the rats are feeling cornered.

[KPN]

39. Exactly.

[Tom Rinaldo]

40. Russia has NOTHING to lose and MUCH to gain by issuing veiled threats about nuclear weapons

Putin knows very well that Biden is sane and that the United States will not initiate a preemptive nuclear strike against Russia no matter how threatening their language becomes towards us. The U.S. simply will not be provoked into the first use of nuclear weapons against Russia, period. However it serves Putin's direct interests to further the belief that Russia can be provoked into the first use of nuclear weapons if NATO or the United States does too much to help the Ukrainians.

[lagomorph777]

42. Exactly.

[moondust]

43. Somebody tell Vladimir the Hun

and his gang of invaders that the rest of the world does not live in their precious little propaganda bubble.

[Sogo]

44. ....could use them against whom?

If they believe NATO is causing their "existential threat," who are they going to nuke?