DISINFO: West needs the topic of nuclear war to support Russophobia
SUMMARY
The West needs the topic of a nuclear or a third world war to support Russophobia. Talk about the possibility of nuclear war is underway, but not by Russia, but by NATO and Ukraine.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobic West and allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda against Russia.
Western countries are not Russophobic but have clear security concerns linked to Russia. Moscow has violated international law by launching aggression against Kyiv in 2014, when it occupied and illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On February 27, 2022 Vladimir Putin ordered his military to put Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert. Before that, Putin had warned that "whoever tries to hinder us" in Ukraine would see consequences "you have never seen in your history".
Current U.S. and Russian military strategies reserve the option to use nuclear weapons first. In Russia’s case, its military policy allows for the president to order the use of nuclear weapons if the state is at risk or possibly if Russia is losing a major war.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the order "irresponsible," and that "this is dangerous rhetoric."
Read our past analysis about Russophobia in the Baltic states and elsewhere The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelings.