At the battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297, the movie Braveheart has William Wallace provoking the English to battle, saying "Here are Scotland's terms. Lower your flags, and march straight back to England, stopping at every home to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. ... Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass."

Putin's Nuclear Crisis - June 2024

Threats about the use of nuclear weapons from the Kremlin have been heard since the beginning of a full-scale war. This is cynically called “protection of Russian interests.”

On 31 May 2024, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Biden administration’s decision to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to hit targets in what Washington considers Russian territory. A week later, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his country's red lines in this regard, promising an “asymmetric response,” without providing specific details. Jeremy Bowen, a BBC International television presenter, wrote this week after a trip to Ukraine that most Western analysts think the Kremlin is bluffing when it rattles the nuclear saber. “China, Russia’s essential ally, has made it clear it does not want any use of nuclear weapons,” he argued. There is some merit in such an argument. At any rate, Blinken simply ignored the sensitive issue of tactical nuclear weapons, but asserted that NATO will not be cowed.

US President Joe Biden may end up destroying the world in a nuclear conflict, his election rival Donald Trump claimed 05 June 2024. Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday, the former president warned that “we have a chance of going into World War III because of our leader.” Biden is “not at the top of his game” and “was never the brightest bulb” among American politicians – even when he was younger. It is currently the “most dangerous time in the history of our country,” he warned, citing the destructive potential of nuclear weapons.

In the event of a nuclear exchange, “nothing will matter because practically nothing will be here anymore,” he warned. “This is obliteration. Maybe world obliteration. And we have a man that is incapable of even discussing it.” Trump pointed to the Ukraine conflict as a major source of danger. Russian President Vladimir Putin “is talking about nuclear weapons,” he said.

During a meeting 05 June 2024 with foreign press, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin warned the West against thoughtless conflict escalation, stressing that Moscow could repel NATO attempts to threaten its sovereignty both asymmetrically and directly. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with foreign journalists on June 5 within the framework of the 27th annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Addressing the Ukraine conflict the Russian president noted that Western weapon deliveries to the Kiev regime, coupled with the approval to hit targets deep inside Russia, is fraught with severe escalation risks.

V. Putin: "You know, they always try to accuse us of waving some kind of nuclear baton. But have I now raised the question of the possibility of using nuclear weapons? That's what you did. You bring me up on this topic, and then you will say that I waved a nuclear baton.

"You know, this is such a very tough topic. Americans, the United States is the only country that used nuclear weapons in World War II: Hiroshima, Nagasaki - 20 kilotons. Our tactical nuclear weapons are 70–75 kilotons, such tactical nuclear weapons. Let's not lead not only to use, but even to the threat of use.

"For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use this. We have a nuclear doctrine - look what is written there. If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal.

"You can’t take this lightly, superficially, but you need to treat it professionally. I hope that everyone in the world will treat issues of this kind in the same way.

"I am often asked: how do you manage to have such modern weapons as, say, Avangard glide units, conditionally, or some others. Because we concentrate our efforts, finances, and administrative resources on solving the main problems. And the United States is forced to spend money on maintaining the armed forces, because if [there are] extensive bases around the world, [then] the costs are huge, the theft is limitless. Now I am not accusing anyone of anything, and we have a lot of theft and fraud - everywhere, and in your countries everywhere, but in the States there is more in the army. Why? Because people always steal more when they are on payroll, it’s simply inevitable.

"Just imagine: we would now be doing in Canada what the United States is doing on our doorstep, here in Ukraine or in Mexico. Or would we now say that the United States seized part of Mexico's territories at one time and encouraged Mexico to fight for the return of its territories. In principle, this is approximately the same as what Western countries are doing in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Is this something you ever wanted to think about?

"You don’t need to look at these flags - you need to look at the essence of the events taking place. We have no imperial ambitions, believe me, this is all nonsense, just like the threat from Russia towards NATO countries and Europe. What are you doing? Look at NATO's potential and look at Russia's potential. What, you decided that we were crazy, or what?"

During his meeting with the foreign press on June 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the West's increasing involvement in the Ukraine conflict, as well as NATO member states greenlighting the use of its weapons to hit targets inside Russia by the Kiev regime. Putin highlighted that Russia has a wide array of options to respond with, including asymmetrical and nuclear ones in case the country's sovereignty and independence are gravely threatened.

The United States launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on 06 June 2024, marking the second such test in a week, the Vandenberg Space Force Base said. Minuteman III is a US Cold War-era intercontinental ballistic missile deployed in the 1970s. According to public data, the United States has about 400 Minuteman III ICBMs armed with a single warhead each. In 2015, the US nuclear arsenal underwent expensive modernization that prolonged Minuteman III's service to the 2030s. "An unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches during an operational test at 1:46 a.m. Pacific Time 6 June, 2024, at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. ICBM test launches demonstrate that the U.S. ICBM fleet is ready, reliable and effective in leveraging dominance in an era of strategic competition," the statement said. The recent Minuteman III launches are a regular audit of the strategic forces rather than nuclear saber-rattling.

Scott Bennett is a former U.S. Army Special Operations Officer (11th Psychological Operations Battalion, Civil Affairs-Psychological Operations Command), and a global psychological warfare-counterterrorism analyst, formerly with defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. He worked in the highest levels of international counterterrorism in Washington DC and MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. He has developed and managed psychological warfare theories, products, and operations for U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, the State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and other government agencies.

"The world is not in danger because of Russia," Bennett told Sputnik. "The world is not threatened by Russia. The world has no fear of Russia. That's the reality. The propaganda that the West has generated, and particularly the United States, and more specifically the LGBT [ed note: extremist organization banned in Russia] left-wing Democrat, uniparty Republican epicenter in Washington, they are inventing this fountain of lies about Russia and spreading that to poison the minds of people in Europe. And I think only Europe is susceptible to it. You don't have anyone in Africa or Asia drinking from that fountain of lies and death."

According to the expert, the US government is pushing its "woke globalist left-wing agenda" without any sense of restraint, self-reflection or professional intelligence, while Russia is standing its ground and warning that the West's conduct could lead to war. "We're seeing Russia being pushed into a position where it is going to defend itself and that defense could be a military strike against Western targets not because it wants to, but because it has to," Bennett stressed.

"I think it is a good way to get the West's attention," said Bennett, comparing Putin's signal to that made by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev when Washington sought to install its nuclear-armed, medium-range ballistic missiles in Turkey. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 became a wake-up call to the Kennedy administration and made it backpedal on the missile deployment.

Technological advances and escalating geopolitical tensions are imperiling the global population with the highest risk of a nuclear conflict since the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. “Humanity is on a knife’s edge,” Guterres said in a recorded speech presented on 07 June 2024 at the annual Arms Control Association meeting in Washington. “The risk of a nuclear weapon being used has reached heights not seen since the Cold War.” The UN chief claimed that countries are engaged in a “qualitative arms race,” employing such technologies as artificial intelligence (AI) to boost their readiness for a potential conflict. Such advances are “multiplying the danger” of nuclear weapons being used, he added, and the last remaining arms control agreement between the US and Russia is heading toward expiration in 2026.

Guterres made his comments as US support for Ukraine in its battle with Russia stoked fears of a wider, and potentially nuclear, conflict. The US and other NATO members have accused Moscow of nuclear saber-rattling, while Russian leaders have pointed out that deepening Western involvement in the Ukraine conflict could trigger an escalation.

Moscow has never been the first to resort to aggressive nuclear rhetoric, President Vladimir Putin told a question-and-answer panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on 07 June 2024. The nation’s nuclear doctrine only allows the use of atomic weapons in “exceptional cases” and the current situation is not one, he added. When asked whether Russia should “climb the nuclear escalation ladder faster,” Putin replied that Moscow has never initiated such escalation. Russia “has never said” it was “ready to push the red button,” the president stated, adding that Moscow has always called on other nations to treat such issues “seriously” but was instead accused of nuclear saber-rattling.

“We are not brandishing [nuclear weapons],” Putin said. Russia’s nuclear doctrine clearly states that atomic weapons can only be used in the face of a “threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country, the president stated. “I do not believe that it is the case now.”

The president expressed hope that “it will never come” to a nuclear exchange between Moscow and the West. He said Russia possesses an effective early-warning system and a vast nuclear arsenal, including tactical nuclear weapons, which are three or four times more powerful than the bombs dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The EU lacks both and only the US has comparable capacity, he added.

Moscow “has no reasons to even think about” using nuclear weapons, according to Putin. Russia vastly outguns its enemy when it comes to tanks and aviation, the president said. Ammunition production in Russia has also increased by a multiple of 20 amid the ongoing conflict, he added. Putin then called on Russian officials to not even “touch upon” the subject of nuclear weapons unless absolutely necessary.

Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The moderator of the discussion was political scientist, historian, scientific director of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics of the Higher School of Economics Sergei Karaganov.

S. Karaganov: "America benefits from this war, and they will continue it, driving Ukrainians to slaughter and finishing them off, and now they will also drive Europeans to slaughter - This war will not be able to be stopped in the near future without rapid movement along the ladder of nuclear escalation.... There used to be a nuclear fuse, but now it has seriously weakened - fear of nuclear weapons. Do we understand that we have a huge responsibility not only to win this war - and for this we need to go much tougher on the ladder of escalation and be ready to use it - but also to return this nuclear fuse to the international system in order to prevent movement towards a huge wave of conflicts. After all, who, besides us, will do this? Who, besides you, will do this?... And if we crawl so slowly up this ladder, although there is, of course, movement, then I am afraid that we will seem to be shirking this responsibility. Although I understand the gravity of the moral choice."

Vladimir Putin: "Regarding nuclear escalation: we never started this rhetoric. I don’t remember the name of this lady, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who, when asked when she became Prime Minister, said that she was ready to press the nuclear button. We never said that. This is where it all started. We simply responded that we needed to take this more seriously; we immediately started saying that we were rattling nuclear weapons. We don't rattle. First.

"Secondly, what is use, non-use, in what case to use. We have a nuclear doctrine, and everything is written there. Yesterday I just spoke with the heads of news agencies and said this. We have everything written there: use is possible in exceptional cases - in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, in exceptional cases. I don’t think that such a case has arisen – there is no such need. But this doctrine is a living instrument, and we closely monitor what is happening in the world, around us, and do not rule out making some changes to this doctrine.

"Now this is also connected with the testing of nuclear weapons. We once not only signed it, but also ratified it, the Americans signed it, but did not ratify it, so in today's conditions we have withdrawn our ratification. But, if necessary, we will conduct tests. So far there is no such need either, since our information capabilities, computer ones, allow us to produce everything in its current form."

S. Karaganov: " Nevertheless, we understand perfectly well that accelerating movement along the nuclear escalation ladder can save a large number of lives, because it can bring some sense to our opponents, who took advantage of the fact that we, among other things, had such an easy doctrine. I have no doubt that it will be changed, I hope that it will be changed soon, and you will now have the formal right to respond, if you so decide, with a nuclear strike to any attacks on our territory. This absolutely must be the sovereign right of our leader. I hope that such a statement will appear in our doctrine, and it will cool our opponents a little, and will also save our soldiers sooner or later.

Of course, now it’s probably too early to go for nuclear escalation, but we need to move towards this in order to cool down our opponents. They went crazy, especially the Europeans. They are going to war for the third time in almost a hundred years. The Americans are much more careful, they fed the Ukrainians, they push them, and they themselves are much more careful. But the Europeans are going to war....

Again, I repeat this question - I bring it to the end. If we do not move more decisively along the ladder of escalation, will we not anger the gifts of the Almighty? After all, the Almighty once showed us the way, when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fiery rain for dissipation and debauchery. And after this, humanity remembered this for many years and behaved carefully, but now it has forgotten about Sodom and Gomorrah. So, maybe let's remember this rain and try again to bring some sense into humanity or that part of humanity that has lost faith in God and has lost its mind?"

Vladimir Putin: "Without me, maybe not? You will set the heat there! They were already scared. Although, of course, one might think: You are now talking about Europeans - any logic is possible. If, God forbid, it comes to some kind of strike, then everyone should understand that Russia has an early warning system - a missile attack warning system. The USA has it. There is no such developed system anywhere else in the world. We have. In Europe there is no developed system; in this sense, they are more or less defenseless. This is the first one.

"The second is the power of the blows. Our tactical nuclear weapons are four times more powerful than the bombs the Americans used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, three to four times. We have many times more of them - both on the European continent, and even if the Americans bring theirs from the USA - we still have many times more. If it comes [to this], God forbid, which we really don’t want, then – you said “let’s reduce the sacrifices” – they can increase indefinitely. This is the first one.

"And second. Of course, these same Europeans will have to think: if those with whom we exchange such blows do not exist, will the Americans get involved in this exchange of blows at the level of strategic weapons or not? I very much doubt it, and Europeans should also think about it, that’s for sure.

"But still, I proceed from the fact that it will never come to this and we do not have such a need, because our Armed Forces are not just gaining experience, increasing their efficiency - our defense-industrial complex is demonstrating its effective work. I have said it many times, I can repeat it: we have increased the production of ammunition by more than 20 times, we are many times greater than the enemy’s capabilities in aviation technology, we are significantly superior in armored vehicles, and so on, and so on. We don't even need to think about this topic. "Please, and I would also ask everyone not to mention such things in vain once again.

" S. Karaganov: "You behave so responsibly and speak so responsibly, but we are dealing with partners who are absolutely irresponsible and have lost their minds.... Although I understand perfectly well and support your hesitation, because this is a terrible choice, and the choice should be made only as a last resort. But if they know that you are not ready to make this choice, they will endlessly try to fight and bleed us.

"And at the same time, they are fighting not only against us - they are also fighting against our friends in the world majority, because we are the military-strategic root, the core of this world majority. If they turn us back, they will begin to suppress them again. I don’t know whether the gentlemen presidents agree with this."

Vladimir Putin: "Allow me to make one remark. The decisions of both mine and my colleagues with whom I work in this area are not associated with any hesitation - there is no hesitation and cannot be. All our decisions must be based on analysis - a real, objective analysis of the current situation. That's what we do."

Pranay Vaddi, Special Assistant to the President of the United States, Senior Director for Arms Control, Disarmament and Nonproliferation at the National Security Council (NSC) of the White House told the Arms Control Association on 07 June 2024 that the US may reach a point "in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required ... We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision," Vaddi said, adding that "more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners." Vaddi said Russia, China and North Korea "are all expanding and diversifying their nuclear arsenals at a breakneck pace, showing little or no interest in arms control. Those three, together with Iran, are increasingly cooperating and coordinating with each other—in ways that run counter to peace and stability, threaten the United States, our allies and our partners, and exacerbate regional tension."

Vaddi said "We are committed to seeking the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all; To upholding strategic stability; To working with allies and partners to strengthen arms control and nonproliferation under the rules-based international order; And to reducing the global salience of nuclear weapons..... Unlike our adversaries, we will not develop radiation-spewing, nuclear-powered cruise missiles — or nuclear weapons designed to be placed in orbit—which would be a clear violation of the Outer Space Treaty.... we do not need to increase our nuclear forces to match or outnumber the combined total of our competitors to successfully deter them."

Some excitable headline writers screamed "US issues major nuclear weapons alert amid fears of all-out war", withthe use of the term of art "alert" suggesting a raising of the DEFCON level, whihc was not the case.

The United States is undermining nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and should stop doing it, official representative of the Chinese Embassy in the United States said 08 June 2024, commenting on the statements of Pranay Vaddi, TASS reported. "The US needs to reflect on its behavior and commit itself to doing the right thing. The US should stop undermining the international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime, reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national and collective security policies and act responsibly for the welfare of the world," the un-named embassy representative said [connoisseurs of this art will appeciate that a "un-named official" at the "embassy" is pretty low on the tolem pole as such things go]. "The US sits on the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world. Even so, it clings to a first-use nuclear policy, devises nuclear deterrence strategies against others and has invested heavily to upgrade its nuclear triad. It has withdrawn from treaties and organizations concerning arms control, enhanced the NATO nuclear alliance and expanded cooperation with allies on advanced military technologies," the embassy press service said.

Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, wrote 10 June 2024 :"The American belief in its own exceptionalism and European ‘strategic parasitism’, devoid of any sense of self-preservation, is a dangerous combination. It’s in such an environment that the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on the nuclear power the is Russia – in a proxy conventional war in Ukraine –has been born. Russia’s atomic capabilities are being ignored. The parallels that Moscow tried to draw with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when Washington considered the possibility of a nuclear war with the USSR in response to the deployment of Soviet missiles in the neighbourhood of the United States, were rejected by the Americans as far-fetched....

"This is an extremely dangerous illusion that can and must be dispelled by an active nuclear deterrence strategy, including the lowering of the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, which is currently too high. The key condition for use should not be a ‘threat to the existence of the state’ but a ‘threat to the vital interests of the country’! ... The world order is experiencing an acute systemic crisis. In the past, such crises inevitably led to wars. Now nuclear deterrence is working, albeit with some issues. To prevent a world war, it is necessary to strengthen deterrence by activating the nuclear factor in foreign policy, restoring fear and building a ladder of escalation."

The actions of the United States and its allies raise the question of bringing documents in the field of nuclear deterrence in line with current needs. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov told reporters about this 11 June 2024. on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting. “All I can say is that the situation is trending towards further deterioration, and the challenges that are multiplying as a result of the unacceptable and escalatory actions of the United States and its NATO allies undoubtedly raise before us the full question of how the basic documents in the field of nuclear deterrence can be brought more into line with current needs,” the diplomat said, answering the question of what points could be affected by possible changes in the basis of state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence. “Before making the appropriate decisions, in our practice there is no preliminary coverage of what kind of changes can be made,” Ryabkov added.

The second stage of drills focusing on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons by Russian and Belarusian forces has commenced, the Russian Defense Ministry said on 11 June 2024. The drills have the objective of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Union State. Previously, troops underwent training to operate Iskander missiles and to equip Kinzhal hypersonic missiles with specialized warheads. "In accordance with the decision of Russian President [Vladimir Putin], the second stage of the exercise of non-strategic nuclear forces began," the ministry said in a statement. During the exercise, the joint training of units from the armed forces of Russia and Belarus was carried out.

The second stage of the non-strategic nuclear forces drills is aimed at maintaining readiness to use nuclear weapons to ensure the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Russian Ministry of Defense added. “The exercises are aimed at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and Belarus in order to unconditionally ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Union State,” the statement says.

As part of the first stage, the Ministry elaborated on the process of acquiring specialized ammunition for the Iskander tactical missile system. Additionally, the aviation forces engaged in training exercises involving the equipping of special [ie, nuclear] warheads for the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The Ministry added that missile units from the Southern Military District performed training exercises to equip Iskanders with special warheads. Russia’s Foreign Ministry explained that drills must be considered in the light of hawkish statements made by Western politicians and NATO’s destabilizing activities.

It was directly stated that all exercises are carried out with training special combat units. Not that anyone seriously doubted it, but some citizens were worried. The geography of the exercise expanded quite far beyond the boundaries of the Southern Military District. In principle, after the involvement of the Belarusian allies, it became logical to involve the Leningrad Military District (remember the historical analogies yourself). Moreover, it is in the Baltic Sea that, apparently, the main activity of the Navy will be in the context of the ongoing exercise. Special thanks for the beautiful, chthonic, atompunk shots of the Mosquito loading. Also, the UKSK cells were suddenly shown in the naval unit, but the loading of nuclear training "Calibers" was not announced. Note that in the naval part we are talking about anti-ship missions.

All those involved are actively rolling out the Iskander-M, both launching and transport-loading vehicles. At the same time, the unusual transport and launch containers for cruise missiles of this complex were shown only at the very beginning, in the Southern Military District. Blurred aeroballistic missiles should probably be deterred much better than conventional ones, but they forgot to share this military trick with their Belarusian colleagues .

Only in Belarus have they shown front-line aviation so far. Aviation weapons on the Su-25 (sorry, we can’t help but remember the author’s meme ) are diligently hidden in digital and physical ways (tactical packages are excellent), but, we would venture to guess, strikes with free-falling bombs are being practiced. Finally, almost the main participants in the event were given the floor: the leadership of the 12th Main Directorate spoke about the interaction of “nuclear support” and “combat use.” Delivery to field storage points and duty with training nuclear weapons is of particular interest, of course.

The main question is why is all this? It seems that the main signal remains the same: dear European neighbors on the Eurasian continent, do not think that if you suddenly go to war with us, we will allow ourselves to be defeated in the pre-nuclear phase. The situation remains quite explosive, but it is through demonstration of potential, and not loud statements, that we must now try to cool it down.

NATO countries have begun consultations on how to put nuclear weapons on alert due to threats from Russia, China and North Korea. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this in an interview with The Telegraph 17 June 2024. According to Stoltenberg, NATO member countries are currently negotiating the deployment of more nuclear warheads. The removal of missiles from warehouses and their transfer to standby mode is being discussed. “Of course, NATO’s goal is a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as there are nuclear weapons, we will remain a nuclear alliance, because a world in which Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons, and NATO does not, is a more dangerous world,” he stressed.

"For Russia, the strategic defeat means the end of its statehood and thousand-year history. Then the question arises - why should we be afraid? Isn't it better to go to the end?" - Putin said 20 June 2024. The head of state made a statement saying that the collective West is constantly increasing the degree of escalation. This is probably being done in the expectation that Russia will get scared at some point, the president suggested.

Decker Eveleth noted Putin appears to now be using Karaganov and Trenin as a useful extreme to point to whenever he wants to appear more moderate.""

At the same press conference , Putin explained that possible changes in the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation are associated with lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons in Western countries. At the same time, the president noted that Russia does not need to prescribe in its nuclear doctrine the possibility of launching a preventive nuclear strike, since “in a retaliatory strike, the enemy will be guaranteed to be destroyed.”

Russia is thinking about possible changes to its nuclear doctrine, President Vladimir Putin said at the press conference in Hanoi following his visit to Vietnam. According to the Russian leader, this is due to the lowering of the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons in the West . “We are now thinking about changing the nuclear doctrine and strategy. In any case, we know that the potential enemy is working on this, on new elements related to lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons,” Putin said. According to the Russian leader, Moscow is aware of the development in the West of an ultra-low-power nuclear device with the possibility of its further use. This prompted Russia to reconsider its nuclear doctrine, the president clarified.

Vladimir Putin : “At the same time, they (Western countries) say that they want to achieve the strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. For Russia, this (strategic defeat) means the end of its statehood. (...) This means the end of the thousand-year history of the Russian state. I think this is clear to everyone. And then the question arises, why should we be afraid? Isn’t it better then to go to the end?” The President noted that “this is elementary formal logic.”

"If the war is lost, the nation will also perish. This fate is inevitable. There is no necessity to take into consideration the basis which the people will need to continue a most primitive existence. On the contrary, it will be better to destroy things ourselves because this nation will have proved to be the weaker one and the future will belong solely to the stronger eastern nation [Russia]. Besides, those who remain after the battle are only the inferior ones, for the good ones have been killed." - Adolf Hitler, August 1944

President Putin 28 June 2024 on the Russian Federation measures regarding the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles: "In 2019, we announced that we would neither produce these missiles, nor deploy them as long as the United States does not deploy such systems anywhere around the globe. We now know that the United States is not only producing these missile systems, but has brought them to Europe, Denmark, to use in exercises. Not long ago, it was reported that they are in the Philippines. It is unclear whether they have taken these missiles out from the Philippines or not. In any case, we need to respond to this and decide on our further steps in this regard. It appears that we need to begin producing these attack systems and then, based on the actual situation, decide on where to deploy them to ensure our security, if necessary.""