Cold War Flashback: Putin Threatens West with Nuclear Forces

In a harrowing echo from the times of the Cold War, Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin on Sunday raised the readiness level of Russia’s nuclear force as his war in Ukraine is turning into an abject failure.

‘Unfriendly Actions’ by the West

Putin’s decision could be the most significant nuclear war threat against the United States and its NATO allies since the falling apart of the former Soviet Union back in December 1991.

Besides directly threatening the West, the Russian dictator could be “tempted” to actually use nukes, albeit in a different fashion.

As of Monday morning, on the fifth day of the criminal invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s troops have failed to take any major Ukrainian city.

The Russian advance towards Ukrainian capital Kyiv remains bogged down about 20 miles northwest of the city.

At the same time, the Russian tyrant resorted to indiscriminate shelling of Ukraine’s second most populous city of Kharkiv, barely 20 miles away from the Russian border, killing dozens and wounding hundreds of civilians.

On top of everything, Russia’s supposedly vastly superior forces have failed to gain control of the Ukrainian airspace. Ukraine’s air force and anti-aircraft defenses still remain partly operational.

On Sunday, Putin placed Russia’s “deterrence forces”, on high alert, citing what he called “aggressive statements” by NATO officials, as well as the devastating financial sanctions, slapped on Russia by the West.

In his comments on Sunday, the Russian autocrat lambasted not just the “unfriendly actions” of the West against Russia “in the economic sphere,” but also the “aggressive” words of officials from NATO countries.

‘World Without Russia Shouldn’t Exist’

Speaking on Monday morning, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov mentioned British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss among those “aggressive” officials.

Last week, when he announced his “special military operation”, as Putin calls the war he is waging against the free nation of Ukraine, the Moscow dictator also warned any foreign countries aiding Ukrainians would face “unseen consequences.”

His stooge, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, warned that Western help for Ukraine could trigger “World War III”. Lukashenko called for a restraint in Western help for Ukraine because a nuclear war would be “the end of everything”.

On Monday, Lukashenko is hosting in the Belarusian city of Grodno talks between representatives of Ukraine and Russia, which many consider as Putin’s attempt to distract from the war crimes he is committing.

Commenting on the Soviet-style, Cold-War-reminiscent nuclear war threats coming out of Moscow, NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg slammed Putin for his “dangerous rhetoric” and “irresponsible behavior”.

Stoltenberg told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the Russian leader’s reckless actions are precisely the reason the West isn’t just helping Ukraine, but also boosting NATO’s military presence in alliance member states all over Eastern Europe.

On Sunday, Putin’s biggest television propagandist, Dmitry Kiselyov, fumed on state TV against the West – as he does regularly – but this time, he also threatened a nuclear war and the destruction of America and his allies.

Kiselyov bewilderingly claimed the world doesn’t need to exist if Russia “isn’t in it”.

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