Putin continues to discuss nuclear arsenal on anniversary of war in Ukraine
2023.02.23 14:49
Putin continues to discuss nuclear arsenal on anniversary of war in Ukraine
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – On Thursday, the day before the anniversary of the war, Ukraine said that its forces had stopped Russian attacks along the length of the front line. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin talked about Russia’s nuclear arsenal, empty-handed after a bloody winter offensive.
Putin announced plans on Thursday to deploy new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles this year, following a series of vehement speeches prior to the anniversary of his invasion. He halted Russia’s participation in the START nuclear arms control treaty earlier this week.
In remarks made public by the Kremlin, Putin stated that Russia would “pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad.” He was referring to nuclear missiles that are based on land, sea, and air.
A year after Putin launched the largest land war in Europe since World War II, Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the nuclear talk as a distraction from the failing Russian military campaign on the ground.
Russia has launched infantry assaults across frozen ground in the last few weeks, which both sides have dubbed the bloodiest battles of the war.
Constant explosions could be heard echoing in the distance at a Ukrainian tank park near Bakhmut, the small eastern city that has become Russia’s primary target.
Everything else will become even more complicated if we give up Bakhmut. We will never be able to give it up. We will persevere,” a tank operator, Junior Sergeant Oleh Slavin, told Reuters. We are currently in place and working toward regaining all of the territory.
An alert was issued by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to Americans living in the country regarding what it referred to as an ongoing and elevated threat of missile attacks throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
U.S. citizens were urged to “observe air alarms, shelter appropriately, and follow guidance from local authorities” in the alert.
Western officials claimed that ahead of the anniversary, Russia had planned an offensive to take new territory using hundreds of thousands of reservists who had been drafted in recent months to give Putin a victory to announce.
Moscow’s forces have made progress in their attempt to encircle Bakhmut, but they have been unable to break through Ukrainian lines to the north near Kremmina and to the south at Vuhledar, where they have been assaulting across open ground and have lost a lot of ground.
The military said in the early hours of Thursday that Ukrainian forces had stopped 90 Russian attacks in the northeast and east over the past 24 hours. According to Ukrainian military spokesperson Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, Moscow was attempting to exhaust Kyiv’s forces by utilizing its manpower advantage.
He stated, “The enemy does not abandon attempts to surround Bakhmut, despite significant losses.”
A Russian-installed official in the region stated that Ukrainian shelling on Thursday killed three ambulance workers who were attempting to evacuate people from their homes in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
In a morning bulletin, Russia’s defense ministry said that its forces had fired artillery at Ukrainian military units in several locations, including Vuhledar, which is in the south of the Donetsk region. Bakhmut was not mentioned in the bulletin.
Ukraine has closed some schools to commemorate the anniversary of the war in case Moscow launches long-range missile attacks. However, officials in Kyiv stated that they are of the opinion that Moscow no longer possesses the capacity for a significant outburst of force.
“There won’t be any unusual events. “Usual Russian effort… A small missile strike is planned,” Kyrylo Budanov, the head of military intelligence, told the website for news Ukrainska Pravda. We’ve been through this more than 20 times, I assure you.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, echoing similar statements made by Putin, claimed that any attempt to disintegrate Russia, the world’s largest country by territory, would fail if the West used Ukraine.
A new banknote honoring resistance during the war was issued by the central bank of Ukraine to commemorate the anniversary of the invasion. One side depicts three soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag after Kyiv’s retaking of Snake Island, a Black Sea outcrop that was one of the war’s most significant victories. The other side depicts war crime victims’ hands held together by tape.
Putin has instead turned to nuclear rhetoric, announcing in a major speech on Tuesday that Russia would cease participation in the New START arms control treaty because there have been no significant battlefield victories to report in time for the anniversary.
Joe Biden, the president of the United States, upstaged Putin this week by traveling unannounced to Kyiv and addressing a crowd in Warsaw. On Wednesday, he said, “The suspension of START was a big mistake.” That doesn’t suggest to me that he intends to use nuclear weapons or anything like that.
The deployment of the RS-28 Sarmat missiles, which Putin called “Satan 2,” was first announced in 2018 and was supposed to have taken place last year.
Additionally, Putin vowed to produce additional hypersonic missiles, which fly at speeds too high to be shot down.
Despite major battlefield losses and the failure to capture Kyiv at the start of its “special military operation,” Russia still controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine.
It is believed that the war resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians as well as soldiers from both sides. Millions of refugees have fled Ukraine as a result of Russian forces destroying cities.
On the eve of the invasion’s anniversary, the United Nations General Assembly is expected to pass a resolution in New York calling for an end to it. By asking for yes votes from nearly three-quarters of nations, Ukraine hopes to further isolate Russia diplomatically. The text is biased, according to Moscow, which claims that threats to its security justified the invasion.
On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the invasion was against the Charter.
“Indirect threats to use nuclear weapons have been heard. Nuclear weapons’ so-called tactical use is completely unacceptable. Guterres stated, “It is high time to step back from the brink.”
