"I don't think he's bluffing": Zelenskyy says Putin's nuclear threats "could be a reality"

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Source: CBS

Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is bluffing with his threats to use nuclear weapons, and urged Ukraine's allies to continue putting pressure on Putin to deter him.

"Maybe yesterday it was a bluff. Now, it could be a reality," Zelenskyy said in an interview with "Face the Nation." "He wants to scare the whole world. These are the first steps of his nuclear blackmail. I don't think he's bluffing. I think the world is deterring it and containing this threat. We need to keep putting pressure on him and not allow him to continue."

Putin last week threatened to use nuclear weapons as he announced a partial mobilization of his military reserves, prompting Russian men of fighting age to flee the country to avoid fighting in Ukraine. The call-up by Putin of his military reserves came just before people in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine began voting on whether to become part of Russia, a process that has been denounced by the West.

President Biden said Friday the referendums are a "sham" and "false pretext to try to annex parts of Ukraine," while Zelenskyy warned an annexation would make it "impossible" for diplomatic negotiations with Putin to continue.



Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/volodymyr-zelenskyy-vladimir-putin-ukraine-russia-nuclear-weapons-face-the-nation/?fbclid=IwAR0Q-RgxP8wv1RQh65IPMQEMSBl7eaTTKoWlWbcew3Jm2TmD905ZTJy2ols

[Mr. Evil]

1. My gut feeling is (and it's rumbling as I type),

that if Putin gives that order it will be disobeyed and that will be the last time anyone hears from him. I'm sure there are plenty of people that are close to him have just about had enough of that delusional lunatic.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. I certainly hope you are correct. n/t

[paleotn]

9. Wouldn't be the first time.

In 1983, just after the Soviet shoot down of a Korean jet liner, Stanislav Petrov correctly deduced Soviet early warning systems were malfunctioning, disobeyed standing orders and saved much of the world from nuclear annihilation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

During the Cuban Missile Crises, a Soviet submarine XO and flotilla CofS, Vasily Arkhipov, refused to approve the launch of a nuclear tipped torpedo, thus saving much of the world from nuclear annihilation. He was also XO on the ill fated first deployment of the Hotel class missile boat K-19.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Arkhipov

[Hestia]

27. Bryant Gumbel did a 2003 Sci-Fi Doc about UFO Invasion at Rendelsham in UK

It was a three-part special but anyway, the doc alluded to UFO's, or EV's or whatever, being seen over missile silo's worldwide and after they they left the area, missile's are left inoperable.

What made the doc interesting was:

1) It was Bryant Gumble's first offering post Today Show stint and pre-Real Sports

2) Actual footage - seems to be from NBC archives

3) Gives actual hope that EV's could be here to help us, in that they make missile's inoperable

4) If so with the EV's, makes you wonder about Soviet missile's actually are there and are useful. If so, Putin isreally going off the deep end and in the end not being able to put his money where his mouth is. He's losing it as far as being a "useful" dictator - if you are starving the oligarch's of their funds, you've lost the war.

Anyway, very interesting doc - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020998/

Storyline: In late December 1980, in Rendlesham Forest, England, numerous U.S. military personnel witnessed what has come to be regarded as the most significant military-UFO incident in the history of Great Britain. Now SCI FI brings you this shocking exposé, complete with documentation, new physical evidence and firsthand accounts by both military and civilian witnesses - including Penniston and Halt, who have jeopardized their reputations and military pensions in order to seek out the truth. Join host Bryant Gumbel as SCI FI presents its exclusive investigation of one of the most important UFO incidents of the 20th century

https://rec.arts.tv.narkive.com/eY7fQZez/bryant-gumbel-probes-a-ufo-invasion-at-rendlesham

Although Gumbel puts himself squarely in the skeptics' corner, he does find
Rendlesham compelling.

"For a nonbeliever," he says, "and I probably put most Americans into that
category, the Rendlesham one will probably leave them feeling the most
ambivalent. These are people whose job was -- it sounds like an oxymoron --
military intelligence, to begin with, so they're not people who, as a rule,
see things that go bump in the night.

"It remains the most convincing of the three, in my opinion, because of the
evidence and because of the character of the witnesses that said they saw
something. Has it made me a believer? No, but I confess that I don't have a
counterargument."

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|85062|1|,00.html

[mahina]

19. Maybe when he runs out of windows, but your thought comforts me.

[Cha]

22. Yes, I hope you gut is Dead On!

[bluestarone]

3. I'm thinking that Zelenskyy is correct

Don't know what our answer would be, and that in it self gives pooty more reason to DO IT! Gotta trust Joe here.

[TheBlackAdder]

5. And now Putin goes into hiding, what because of a small amount of protests?

[bluestarone]

17. Hopefully not into a bomb shelter

Better keep our eyes on this SCUMBAG!

[Igel]

25. bomb shelters can be sealed from the outside.

Problem solved.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. And as in the beginning of this whole conflict that so much of the Russian equipment failed, was

not working, etc. because mainly the Russian billionaires stole everything, putin threatened a lot of the billionaires but in reality, nothing really happened because after all, Putin's buddies are allowed to skim off funds for their own, while leaving the armed forces in Russia to pick up the pieces (if there is anything left to pick over, which I doubt).

No wonder there's no confidence in the Armed Forces of Russia by its own population. Perhaps these kids and older adults being conscripted by putin now know something more that we don't see (after all, their friends, etc. are already in the Armed Forces of Russia, so they are dying massively (estimates are already over 50K, I suspect that the numbers are much higher)).

Idiot that putin is won't ever see anything happening, before it's too late for him.

He's so full of himself, so full of his Russian Empire nonsense (that time is long gone, and besides, those Countries that now exist in place of where the former Russian Empire was originally part of, would beg otherwise that they are not part of the Russian Empire and haven't been for some time).

Threats to use perhaps defective nuclear weapons is NOT a good idea in anybody's book, being that these weapons do require constant upkeep, etc. (they are radioactive, must be maintained to keep from falling apart from the radioactivity I suspect, as well as the rocket fuel, which is corrosive too). I suspect that if he attempts to use a weapon, that it'll backfire on him spectacularly and sadly hit a Russian target accidently. Can you imagine this happening? We must be on our toes to ensure that putin doesn't blame us/Western Allies for mistakes on the part of his Russian Forces.

Like they say in the article, I suspect that intervention would happen prior to going this far, in putin launching anything. Or at least, rational people will step in and stop it from happening.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Yeah, Putin has really isolated himself

I read he was hiding in his mountain Palace. At most he would probably have a mistress or 2 up there with him.....with guards and servants doing the work but he'd never talk to them.

He's kinda of isolated with no disagreement from anyone around him. He's got to be out of touch with reality. He's surrounded himself with emptiness and no push back. He's not thinking clearly.

I wonder what's his exit plan and how many Russians and Ukrainians will die before he exits.

[2live is 2fly]

11. Also because the odds of ever using a nuclear weapon are (or used to be anyway) so remote, its

probably a safe bet that money meant for maintenance of these weapons could be safely fraudulently diverted into Putins pals pockets without him (vlad the vermin) being the wiser!

[Corgigal]

7. I also don't believe he's bluffing.

That silly vote with men with guns tells you what area may get a tactical nuke, maybe in that area.

I just wish I knew what NATOs response will be. I’m sure hiding Putin does too.

[Jack the Greater]

10. Perhaps Putin's use of tactical nukes will be a trigger for NATO to get involved more directly...

... instead of through Ukrainian proxy, perhaps NATO jets piloted by NATO pilots targeting Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine. The use of ground troops, artillery and mechanized infantry, would be another level of involvement. If it comes to that, there is no telling what either side will do. Intercontinental nuclear forces will be on extremely high alert on both sides. Fear of a catastrophic, incapacitating first strike by either side will introduce a hair-trigger mentality that is totally unpredictable.

[wnylib]

26. The voting scam and nuclear threat go hand in hand.

Putin threatens to use nukes if anyone attacks Russian soil. The voting scam is designed to annex the Ukrainian territories where the people are being forced to vote for annexation. Once the scam is done, Putin declares the land to be Russian soil. So, if Ukraine fights to get it back, Putin uses nukes on Ukraine for "invading Russia."

[Irish_Dem]

8. Biden's strong public warnings to Putin indicate Biden agrees with Zelensky.

[blue-wave]

12. And President Biden isn't bluffing either

The psychopaths in the Kremlin thought the West was spineless. They thought the West would fracture from infighting over response to the 2nd Russian invasion of Ukraine or if at all, respond weakly. The idiots in the Kremlin were wrong then and are wrong now.

If nuclear weapons are used, Putin and his minions in the Kremlin will have likely started WWIII with nukes. In my opinion, this would solidify their classification as completely, totally insane nuts. If this does occur, Russia will be alone, abandoned and isolated by every country in the world and by many of their own people. There will be no real winners, but I do predict the concept of a Russian country will be no longer of this world.

[Warpy]

13. Even if he hasn't seen the IAEA simulation of a Russia-NATO nuclear war

I'm pretty sure many people in the Kremlin have seen it, the full thing instead of the partially sanitized and abbreviated YouTube version, which is certainly bad enough. The whole northern hemisphere would be devastated and Russia would basically be obliterated, something like 90% of its already low population gone. That's with a fairly limited nuclear exchange.

Putin is likely that bonkers, he's an ignorant man with nukes burning a hole in his pocket. People around him might put the brakes on if he orders it. It's kind of a big "might," but it looks at least possible.

[Uncle Joe]

14. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread Tom Yossarian Joad

[Evolve Dammit]

15. A nuclear game of chicken. That's what we need after fire and fury Orange Julius. If Vlad uses them

we will respond and rightly so. The Trump worship of Putin, Kim Jong, and other despots made this all what it is. Ukraine is kicking Russia's ass and that's heartening. Can you imagine if Drumpf was still CIC? Ukraine would be all Russian territory and democracy gone. Recent NATO applicants would never have happened and we probably wouldn't even be in NATO.
I am glad Joe is the man for the time. So glad. Not without major concern however.

[paleotn]

16. I still fall back on the idea that....

even crazed dictators would rather not die in a flash of heat, light and gamma radiation. Certainly those around him aren't too keen on that potential outcome. That's the problem with even battlefield nukes. It's a dangerous, unknown path that could easily lead to the worst possible scenario.

[BeyondGeography]

18. Translation: give me more weapons

Not doubting Zelensky’s sincerity here but that statement has obvious upside for him and Ukraine in the meantime.

[mahina]

20. Upside compared to being nuked?

Fair.

[BeyondGeography]

21. It's a calculation, he wants and needs heavier weapons in order to reconquer territory

Tanks for one thing. He can answer the question one of two ways. By saying Putin’s bluffing, how does that help him?

[Mike Nelson]

23. Of course...

... nuclear and chemical weapons are on Putin's range of options. He has to be considering if/how/when... my guess is that the first step will be something low... and something he will deny... a limited chemical strike or an "accident" at one of the nuclear power plants.

[honest.abe]

24. I dont think he is bluffing either.

Putin has little to lose. We live in the DC metro area. We are prepping for a possible nuclear attack. If we are not killed in the initial blast we will head out to the Shenandoah mountains with our tent and supplies to last 1 month. Sad disturbing frightening situation.