Could Russian President Vladimir Putin order a nuclear attack on Ukraine or a NATO country? Diplomats and experts told Germany's BILD that this is unlikely to date.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski believes that it will not be easy for Putin to give the order to launch a nuclear missile. According to the Polish diplomat, the Russian generals can overthrow Putin with such an order.
„He can't do that with the push of a button. He must convince his generals to carry out the order. These generals know that to carry out such an order is to become a war criminal. At that moment, they will have a choice: either to carry out such an order, or to get rid of Putin”, Shikorsky said.
Military expert Carlo Massala also pointed out that Putin cannot make such a decision alone. “We know little about the decision-making chain for the use of Russian nuclear weapons. But we know that Putin does not make the decision alone”, he said.
For his part, nuclear weapons expert Frank Sauer says that any preparations by the Russian Federation to use tactical nuclear weapons will not go unnoticed.
The US has already threatened to take drastic action in this case. In addition, Russia would completely isolate itself internationally by using nuclear weapons, and the Chinese government has made it clear that it does not support this step. Putin uses nuclear weapons primarily as a “means of blackmail and instilling fear”.