Report # 61. Medvedev: there is the possibility of a nuclear war. But not initiated from Russia

May 12th, 2022

1.  Risks of turning into a nuclear war

Deputy Head of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, against the background of the escalation by Western countries of the alleged nuclear threat emanating from Moscow, on May 12, in his Telegram blog, spoke about the possibility of a nuclear war.

He began with observation that the "pumping" of Ukraine with Western weapons, "sending mercenaries", NATO exercises near the Russian borders "increase the likelihood of a direct and open conflict between NATO and Russia," and such a conflict "always has the risk of turning into a full-fledged nuclear war." He urged the West to think about the consequences of its actions.

In his words: "Endless conversations of foreign analysts about the NATO war with Russia do not subside. Moreover, the cynicism of Western "talking heads" is becoming more and more outspoken. They are trying their best to introduce the thesis that Russia is scaring the world with a nuclear conflict into the agenda. Even Trump recently came out with this. True, of course, just to spite Biden. And of course, the Europeans are squeaking with their thin voices.

In the context of the proxy war unleashed by Western countries with Russia, Medvedev in the following three points articulated very clearly once again the things that are already obvious to all reasonable people.

1. NATO countries pumping Ukraine with weapons, preparing its troops to use Western equipment, sending mercenaries and conducting exercises of the Alliance countries near Russian borders increase the likelihood of a direct and open conflict between NATO and Russia instead of their "proxy war" they are waging.

2. Such a conflict always has the risk of turning into a full-fledged nuclear war.

3. This will be a disastrous scenario for everyone.

At the end Medvedev urged the proponents of nuclear war in the West not lie to themselves and others: “You just have to think about the possible consequences of your actions. And do not drown in your own saliva in the paroxysms of Russophobia!"

At the end of April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia considers a nuclear war unacceptable. In turn, the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin stressed that in accordance with the Russian military doctrine, Moscow can use nuclear weapons only as a retaliatory measure.

The day before, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the Russian nuclear arsenal poses "significant problems" for the United States. "Russia remains a strong threat that requires close and constant coordination within NATO to prevent further aggression in Europe. <...> Russia's nuclear potential also creates significant problems now and will create in the future," the Pentagon chief said, carefully avoiding the U.S. nuclear arsenal that is growing and placed as a forward-based weapons.

At the same time there was a positive voice. "The United States provides military assistance to Ukraine and provides it with weapons. However, there is no question of providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons," Karen Donfried explained during a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Congress. Earlier the CIA announced that Russia has not deployed nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Such stances create a chance that nuclear war will never be triggered from Europe.

2. Humanitarian situation in Ukraine

From the Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine (May 11, 2022 at 21:45)

The Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, in cooperation with the authorized federal executive bodies and law enforcement agencies, continues to record in detail numerous facts of the inhuman attitude of the Kiev authorities towards their own people and the organization of provocations against the civilian population of Ukraine.

April 11th around 2 p.m. near Dolgenkoe, Kharkiv region, with the aim of accusing the Russian army of using chemical weapons, the Ukrainian security service and nationalists carried out an explosion of a tanker with fertilizer, presumably ammonium nitrate, which resulted in a cloud of orange smoke that dissipated after some time. There were no casualties as a result of this provocation among the military and the local population.

The Russian side has repeatedly warned of such provocations being prepared by the nationalists, the main purpose of which is to force additional military aid from the West by the Kiev regime.

In Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, just as previously in Mariupol, AFU units equipped united fortified area of over 170 sq km and created the necessary reserves of weapons, ammunition, fuel, food and medicines. In densely populated areas, the militants have placed heavy weapons and equipment, set up firing points in houses, kept locals in basements under the pretext of allegedly ensuring their safety, and sprayed signs on building walls saying "Attention! Children!", "There are children here! Don't shoot!".

In total, over 90,000 civilians are blockaded by nationalists in residential areas and on the grounds of more than a dozen large industrial enterprises in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, using them as "human shield". Any attempts by civilians to evacuate on their own to safe areas, either towards Russia or to Kiev-controlled territory, are harshly suppressed by fighters from nationalist battalions.

The particular cynicism of such actions is that the Kiev regime is prepared to sacrifice thousands of lives of its own citizens to achieve its criminal goals, which fully replicates the methods used by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War to create "fortress cities".

Once again, we emphasize to the world community that such actions of Ukrainian neo-Nazis against civilians contradict all generally accepted norms of morality and principles of international humanitarian law and, in fact, are crimes against humanity and terrorism, while officials of the Kiev regime and direct executors are war criminals and terrorists.

Understanding the real threat of a catastrophic humanitarian situation with many civilian casualties in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk cities, we call on the international community, the United Nations, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations to immediately take all measures to safely evacuate civilians from these cities controlled by AFU units as soon as possible.

According to available information, at the exit from Dnepr city via Kaidak bridge, militants of the territorial defence battalions only allow civilians to pass in the direction of the Donetsk People's Republic and Kharkov region for a fixed fee, demanding "unaffordable" money of 200$ per person for most ordinary people. In addition, it has been reliably established that this bridge is mined and will be blown up if Russian units and formations of the Donetsk People's Republic approach.

Subsequently, the Ukrainian side plans to cynically accuse the Russian Armed Forces of allegedly indiscriminate strikes against vital social infrastructure, following a well-tested scenario.

Russia stresses once again that in carrying out the tasks of the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces treat the civilian population with the utmost humanity and do not strike at civilian infrastructure.

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles posed by Kiev, over the past 24 hours, without the involvement of the Ukrainian authorities, 9,456 people, including 1,353 children, have been evacuated from dangerous areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of the special military operation, a total of 1,217,681 people have been evacuated, including 211,577 children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 158,066 personal vehicles including 1,415 per day.

Russia continues to maintain a sufficient number of comfortable buses at checkpoints to transport people to their chosen places of residence or temporary accommodation, where hot meals are provided and qualified medical and psychological assistance is provided in a timely manner.

Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various NGOs received 123 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens to evacuate to Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as to the Russian Armed Forces-controlled areas of Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total there are 2,755,353 such appeals from 2,135 locations in Ukraine in the database.

More than 23,000 tonnes of basic necessities and food kits, including baby food and life-saving medicines, have been prepared at collection points.

3. Situation on the battlefield

High-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces have hit 4 command posts, 34 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment, as well as 2 ammunition depots near Novhorod-Siverskyi, Chernigov Region, during the day.

The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 320 nationalists and up to 72 armoured and motor vehicles.

Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Force have hit 120 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment.

In addition, 1 Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system radar station near Odessa and 1 missile and artillery weapons depot near Krasnopavlovka, Kharkov Region, have been destroyed.

Missile troops and artillery have hit 405 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, 12 command posts and 26 artillery units at firing positions.

One S-300 anti-aircraft missile system has been destroyed near Koroych, Kharkov Region. 3 Smerch multiple-launch rocket launchers and 2 ammunition depots of the Ukrainian armed forces have also been destroyed near Razdolie in Kharkov Region and Slavyansk in Donetsk People's Republic.

Air defence means have shot down 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Velikie Prokhody, Velikaya Kamyshevakha in Kharkov Region, Panteleimonovka, Avdeevka and Dolya in Donetsk Region, Oknino and Fabrichnoe in Lugansk Region, Glubokoe in Chernigov Region, Barvinok and Vladimirovka in Dnepropetrovsk Region. One Bayraktar-TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle has been shot down near Zmeinyi (Snake) Island. 14 Ukrainian Smerch multiple-launch rockets have been intercepted in the air over Zavody, Sukhaya Kamenka, Pimonovka, Izyum, Malaya Kamyshevakha in Kharkov Region, as well as Goncharovka, Topolskoe and Donetsk.


In total, 164 Ukrainian aircraft and 125 helicopters, 821 unmanned aerial vehicles, 303 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,013 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 364 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,471 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,824 special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.


4. Will the prices boost in the USA change the political landscape inside the country?

Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate will be held on November 8, 2022.

Following a sharp drop in the rating of President Joseph Biden's chances of a majority in Congress and the Democratic Party he leads are gradually fading. Already, Biden's team's efforts have focused on maintaining their own positions by distracting the American electorate from internal problems by cultivating an external Russian threat that simply cannot produce any effect on the American voters. They themselves knew and still know whom to elect.

The political positions of the Democrats are undermined by the sharp increase in the cost of energy resources, reinforced by sanctions against Moscow. May 10th amid the decline in world oil prices the average cost of one gallon of gasoline at American gas stations has risen to a record high of $ 4.37. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2022 alone, gasoline prices in the United States increased by 47 percent by May 11.

Based on this, the Biden administration will be restrained by gasoline prices in every possible way until the November elections, including through the use of "gray schemes" for the purchase of Russian oil.

Increasing pressure on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine not only leads to the breakdown of the Western economic system, but also accelerates the process of rapprochement between Russia and China, thereby strengthening Beijing's position in the international arena. This clearly contradicts The U.S. National Security Strategy, in which China is seen as the only existential threat to the USA.

As the parliamentary elections approach, there is an increase in the number of threats addressed to members of regional and municipal election commissions. In 2021, 4 thousand out of 8.5 election commission employees received similar messages (985 people quit). In January - March this year, 1.5 thousand "acts of intimidation" took place, after which another 20 percent of officials announced their intention to resign.

And not only that. More and more rank-and-file Americans are getting angry over the prices hike, created by the current Administration.

If the prices on major goods and services will continue to rise and if the policy of inciting failed and incredible Ukrainian leaders, it could change political landscape in the USA during the November election in 2022 and Presidential elections in 2024.

 


Written by Vladimir P. Kozin