This is probably one of those headlines that you wish you never have to read.
It’s already hard to disentangle whether the Russian media is spouting pure propaganda, speaking in rhetoric, or spewing actual threats, especially given that the livelihoods of these media personalities are in the iron grasp of an autocrat.
Margarita Simonyan, the editor of state broadcaster RT and one of Russia’s highest-profile media bosses, made a shocking remark on live television last Wednesday night (27 Apr), claiming that President Vladimir Putin is more likely to unleash a nuclear strike than concede in the Ukrainian invasion.
Given her position, her words have a heavy and depressing weight to them, only worsened by the fact that her statement is consistent with the narrative that the Kremlin government has been forging.
Threats from the Kremlin Government
It has been 67 days—more than two months—since Mr Putin announced the “special military operation” that Russia would be executing in Ukraine, with the goal of demilitarising the country and taking down the fascist government that currently rules Kyiv.
His public broadcast might have only lasted 43 minutes, but he has made his stance about external interferences extremely clear from the start:
There will be heavy retaliation against any country that dares to intervene in the conflict.
This rhetoric has only escalated over time.
Russia continues to warn the western countries of “lighting-fast” responses if they directly influence the ongoing war by sending troops.
The most terrifying threat yet was the announcement that Moscow might deploy its recently tested “Satan II” missile when autumn arrives.
On 24 April, the Kremlin claimed that it has conducted its first test launch of its new, nuclear-capable Sarment intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system.
Just the name and its moniker are ominous enough, but to know what it’s capable of, is the scariest thing that the world has to contend with now.
Reportedly, the Sarmat is capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads and decoys, and able to strike targets that are thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe.
The testing of the new ICBM system was postponed by several years due to funding and technical issues, but this announcement marks a show of strength by Russia, amidst the impasse of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Secondly, it has led to tensions shooting to the highest levels since the Cuban missile crisis.
Even during the spats in Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Syria, where the two superpowers were either directly or indirectly involved in the domestic conflict, they have always been cautious in avoiding the usage of nuclear weaponry.
For fairly obvious reasons, one would like to think, since the images of its catastrophic consequences have all been burned into our retinas in history classes.
According to the Head of Roscosmos space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, the missiles will be deployed with a unit in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, roughly 3,000km east of Moscow.
It would be stored at the same site and silos of the Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles, which the new Sarmat missiles will be replacing, a decision that will save “colossal resources and time”.
Rogazin believes that the creation of this “super-weapon” is enough to guarantee the security of Russia’s children and grandchildren for the next three to four decades.
Mr Putin echoes his claims, stating that it can home in on its targets after travelling approximately 6,000km, and that it’s virtually impossible to defend against with current technology.
In an interview where Mr Putin referred to the new ICBM, he said bluntly, “We have the tools for this—ones that no one can brag about. And we won’t brag. We will use them if needed. And I want everyone to know this. We have already taken all the decisions on this.”
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Losing in Ukraine or Starting the Third World War
To her credit, Ms Simonyan doesn’t soften the stark reality that the world has to contend with.
“Either we lose in Ukraine or the Third World War starts. I think World War Three is more realistic, knowing us, knowing our leader.”
She adds, “The most incredible outcome, that all this will end with a nuclear strike, seems more probable to me than the other course of events.”
In front of a panel of three experts, she even blasely states that they were all going to die some day, but now there was a possibility that it would end in hellish heat and flames for some others.
It feels very Cersei Lannister of her to say that, except reality is now defying the limits of fiction, and The Song and Ice and Fire has goddamn dragons.
Moreover, “incredible” isn’t exactly the word I would use in conjunction with a nuclear strike, it veers more towards “devastating” or “disastrous”.
Ms Simoyan’s predictions also follow the recent comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who stated that the threat of a nuclear conflict isn’t off the table, and the core of any agreement (or armistice) to end the conflict in Ukraine would be largely dependent on the military situation on the ground.
He asserts that the danger is “serious” and “real”, especially given the new military technology developments that Russia has unveiled.
In response to their grim statements, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss states that it’s all the more reason why the countries opposing Russia should double down on their support.
The Kremlin spokesperson was quick to retort back that supplying heavy weapons to Kyiv would only provoke instability and threaten the security of the European continent.
Which indirectly implies that it will worsen tensions on the ground even further, leading to more bloodshed, and possibly, more drastic attacks from Russia.
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