CIA chief reveals there was a ‘genuine risk’ Putin would launch a nuclear strike against Ukraine
The CIA chief has revealed there was a “real risk” that Russia would have used nuclear weapons at the start of the war in Ukraine.
According to Bill Burns, the head of the organization, there was a sudden breakthrough of troops in the northeast of the country, which fueled fears.
Sir Richard Moore, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), also called the Russian leader ‘‘deeply irresponsible’, the Telegraph defeated.
Mr Burns said: “There was a point in the autumn of 2022 where I think there was a real risk of the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” Mr Burns said.
‘The president sent me to our Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin at the end of 2022 to make it very clear what the consequences of such an escalation would be. We have been very direct about that.
CIA chief has revealed there was a ‘real risk’ Russia used nuclear weapons at the start of the war in Ukraine
British MI6 chief Richard Moore and US CIA director Bill Burns
About 34 percent of Russians — just over one in three — would definitely or probably support using the ultimate weapon in the conflict (stock image)
‘I don’t think we can afford to be intimidated by that saber-rattling or that bullying. [but] We have to take that into account.’
Sir Moore, speaking alongside Mr Burns, said: ‘There is only one party talking about nuclear escalation and that is Putin.
It is deeply irresponsible [but] No one in the West will be intimidated by such thoughts or any other behavior of the Russian state.
In July, it was revealed that about 34 percent of Russians, just over one in three, would definitely or probably support using the ultimate weapon in the conflict.
This is five percent more than a year ago and the highest percentage since Putin started his illegal war against the sovereign state of Ukraine.
The Levada Centre’s findings show that 31 percent are definitely against the use of weapons, while 21 percent are probably against it.
The rising trend shows that Russian propagandists are successful in their attempts to gain support for the use of nuclear weapons.
Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during exercises at an undisclosed location in Russia
Soldiers stand next to a Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missile parked along Tverskaya Street ahead of a rehearsal for Moscow’s Victory Day military parade
The attack follows one of Ukraine’s darkest days after two ballistic missiles killed at least 51 people and wounded 219, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The rockets hit a military training center and a nearby hospital in a central area of Ukraine. After the devastating attack, Zelensky vowed that “the Russian scum will pay for this.”
The strike took place in the Poltava region, the president said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
This appears to be one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Russian forces since the war began more than 900 days ago on February 24, 2022.