Putin Allies Warn West to Back Off Ukraine With Nuclear-Biological War Talk

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MARCH 21: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) seen during
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Oliver JJ Lane

Russian leaders have again accused the United States and NATO nations of pushing the world towards a “hot, full-scale World War III” by helping Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion.

Top allies of Russian president Vladimir Putin have made just the latest threats that continued American involvement in their attempt to conquer Ukraine will end in a third world war, with particular mention given to nuclear and biological weapons. Evidently meant for global consumption, the hostile remarks and threats are amplified by the Kremlin’s own English-language news service.

Always a reliable source of violent hyperbole — including frequent threats to drop nuclear bombs on any foreign power and even international organisation that meets his disapproval — former president, reliable Putin cheerleader, and now national security council deputy chair Dmitry Medvedev warned of the “hot” war should the United States not stop interfering in Russia’s war. He told participants of an educational event:

I cannot say what the last straw, what the trigger may be. But it may happen at some point. We all need to work to ensure that this threat of global confrontation, of a hot, full-scale World War III should not materialize… But world tensions are white-hot indeed.

Also one for belligerent rhetoric, although perhaps with more of a hard edge to threats, is Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov who signalled the world was at an even greater level of risk today than during the Cold War. Blaming the West for this, and — absurdly enough, given their own invasion of Ukraine — accusing the West of seeking to settle differences by force rather than diplomacy, Lavrov told the UN Security Council:

Once again, as during the Cold War, we have come to a dangerous and perhaps even more dangerous line… The situation is exacerbated by the loss of faith in multilateralism, as Western financial and economic aggression destroys the benefits of globalization. The US and its allies abandon diplomacy and demand that relations be clarified on the battlefield.

Vladimir Yermakov, who enjoys the grand Russian government title of Foreign Ministry Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Director also got in on the act, blaming the United States for pushing the powers towards a direct war, and — again ignoring’s Russia’s role in this — saying the U.S. is damaging nuclear treaties. He told the Kremlin’s propaganda service TASS:

If the US continues to follow its current course towards a standoff with Russia, while constantly raising the stakes on the verge of a direct military conflict… However, in the worst-case scenario, i.e. if Washington drives the situation to a military clash between the strongest nuclear powers, then it is not the fate of [our non-proliferation nuclear treaties] but the fate of the entire world that will be a concern.

Yermakov said it was to Russia’s “deepest regrets” that the risk of nuclear war was growing, accusing NATO of acting with impunity and that it was Russia working to avoid nuclear “catastrophe”. Making his demand, the Russian government minister continued:

…the US must immediately take concrete steps on de-escalation and to abolish the hostile course towards undermining Russia’s security in practice… There is simply no other way to reverse the negative trend.

While nuclear war is the main flavour of Russia’s threats this week, it was not so limited, with one Russian figure according to the Kremlin warning that “US may be preparing biological war against Russia”.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said Russia should move to prevent the United States from launching a “biological war against it and other countries”, and that:

Specific biological research being used by the United States in developing military programs requires the closest attention of our scientific community.

The harsh words come amid talk of Ukraine’s long-discussed Spring counter-offensive. Russian preparations to repel the counterattack have been cited by a UK military intelligence review as a contributing reason for a sudden fall in the number of estimated casualties in recent days, as both sides draw back to consolidate.

After supplying Ukraine with huge amounts of equipment and ammunition for this pushback, it is reported — per alleged Pentagon leaks — that the United States is now worried this won’t just mean a bid to take back rightful Ukrainian territory, but to strike Russia itself too. Ukraine has never made any bones about its desire to have revenge on Russia itself, talking of rolling the advanced Western tanks donated to it for defence all the way to Moscow, but Washington is apparently now paying attention to the rhetoric.

Attacks against mainland Russia with U.S.-made weapons are seen as “highly risky operations that Russian President Vladimir Putin could find so threatening that he resorts to using tactical nuclear weapons.”

While a push into Russia may be some time off, Ukraine does appear to be attempting some retaliatory attacks in the meanwhile. Russia claimed a Ukrainian drone laden with explosives had got within 19 miles of Moscow this week, an indication of an attempt to bomb the Russian capital by Ukrainian forces if true.

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