Vladimir Putin certainly appears hellbent on firing off a nuclear weapon before he sheds his mortal coils, and the Russian tyrant’s erratic behavior and rumored cancer diagnosis could have the former KGB agent closer to pushing the button than ever before.
While his public nuclear threats have been largely dismissed by the international community, (perhaps for the sake of keeping the public calm), there are fears beginning to arise behind the scenes regarding just what’s actually occurring on the ground.
A senior US official told The New York Times on Tuesday that there are “new, troubling developments” involving Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, would not provide any further details, according to the report.
That wasn’t the only radioactive concern, either.
The report comes as Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing to use a dirty bomb or even a nuclear bomb as the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of the country pushes on. The claims have sparked concerns that Russia could be preparing a “false flag” attack to justify an escalation of means.
Ukraine said on Tuesday that persistent Russian claims that Kyiv plans to detonate a dirty bomb made it look as though Moscow itself planned to conduct a false flag operation, and that Ukraine has never had any plans to develop a dirty bomb.
“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all of this,” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.
At least two major components in Russia’s Nuclear arsenal have been on the move in recent weeks, including a specially-designed train that can launch a nuclear warhead and one of the world’s largest submarine, also capable of carrying an atomic payload.
