Ukrainian President Sounds Alarm Over Moscow’s Preparations for Nuclear Warfare
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is preparing its citizens for the potential use of nuclear weapons in areas of Ukraine it has annexed. Zelensky described the situation as “very dangerous,” citing recent moves by Moscow to signal the possible deployment of such weapons.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Zelensky explained that Russian authorities were not yet ready to use nuclear weapons but were already communicating their readiness to do so. “It’s dangerous to even talk about it,” he added, underlining the potential risks posed by these discussions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to employ “all the means at our disposal” to protect what he claims as Russian territory, which now includes four regions of Ukraine. Despite these threats, Zelensky expressed concern over the rhetoric surrounding nuclear weapons, stating that the situation could escalate further.
In the same interview, Zelensky clarified that he had not advocated for direct attacks on Russia, attributing a previous comment of his to a mistranslation. He had, instead, called for “preventive measures,” referring to sanctions, rather than military action.
Putin has mentioned the use of nuclear weapons in the context of defending Russian territory, drawing parallels to the US use of atomic bombs against Japan during World War II. Although some Russian officials have suggested the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons, Western leaders have expressed scepticism, stating there is no evidence that Moscow is currently preparing such an action.
Zelensky’s comments were met with criticism from the Kremlin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing him of calling for the start of a world war. The Ukrainian president responded, defending his position and stating that Ukraine was not a threat to Russian citizens but was instead focused on defending its own territory and sovereignty. “We are not terrorists. We do not fight on foreign soil,” he stated.
Zelensky emphasised that Russia’s threats posed a global risk, calling for more severe international sanctions to force Russia to withdraw from Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. He also appealed to Russian citizens, urging them to “fight for your body, rights, and soul,” warning that those mobilised to fight were often sent to the front lines without proper equipment, becoming little more than “cannon fodder.”
He continued, “What Putin fears most is not a nuclear strike, but his own people. Only they can remove him from power.”
Zelensky’s comments come amidst continued conflict and the anniversary of Russia’s controversial annexation of four Ukrainian regions, which Moscow celebrated last week, claiming that the regions were returning to “the motherland.”
