After more than two years of fighting, the dreaded possibility of Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine seems to be gaining momentum, even among the Russian population. Indeed, one in three Russian citizens is keen to condone the use of nuclear arms in Ukraine, according to a poll published on July 04, 2024, by the Russian independent polling organization Levada Center. The figures reported in the survey reveal that 34% of the respondents would justify possible nuclear strikes during the ongoing conflict, with 10% believing it could “definitely” be considered legitimate, and 24% saying it “probably” would, an increase in the numbers in comparison to last year’s results, the Kyiv Independent points out. These people tended to be older and informing themselves via Russian state media, as opposed to the younger generations, who follow international media on YouTube and appear to be strongly against the idea of using nuclear weapons.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made nuclear threats against both Ukraine and the West. When asked about this, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with the Guardian that “the Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn’t kill anybody, we will hit all your targets (positions) in Ukraine with conventional weapons, we’ll destroy all of them.” He furthermore added that both China and India, traditional partners of Moscow and fellow members of the BRICS, have often warned Russia not to use nuclear weapons.
Despite remaining, as of now, empty words, the threat of using nuclear weapons is a worrisome possibility. Raising the level of alarmism is also the fact that Russia’s rhetoric and nuclear drills have increased tremendously in the last few weeks. Just last month, for example, Moscow and its close ally Belarus carried out the second stage of tactical weapons nuclear drills, with similar maneuvers scheduled in the future. These events only fuel the public opinion sentiment towards the legitimacy of a possible nuclear strike on Ukraine, something that could be seen as the ultimate way to end this conflict that has been going on for more than two years, bringing unmeasurable costs in terms of victims and destruction.
The international community has, since the beginning, condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provided its full support to the Ukrainian government and population. When it comes to these specific threats, all countries have shown concern and tried to ensure that no escalation toward the use of nuclear weapons occurs. Nonetheless, as reported by the Kyiv Independent, a White House official said, on June 07, 2024, that the United States might have to increase its deployment of strategic nuclear weapons if such menace continues.
What can we expect? Will Russia truly consider nuclear strikes in Ukraine, or will it use this threat as a bargaining chip to get an advantageous position when the time for negotiating a ceasefire and possible end of the conflict arrives? Only time will tell. Regardless, the increase in popular justification for such measures cannot be overlooked or disregarded. Indeed, it might even be used as the ground upon which to base a potential strike in the future. It therefore becomes fundamental to show not only the Russian population but everyone what the use of nuclear weapons entails, and what its consequences and catastrophic effects are. Let us not forget what happened in 1945, when two bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With today’s technology, the aftermath would surely be more devastating and difficult even to imagine. We must ensure that the existing treaties dealing with nuclear weapons are respected by all countries and that an end to proliferation is put as soon as possible so that even the threat of using such measures becomes unthinkable.
