War in Ukraine: President Zelensky calls on the world to prepare for a possible Russian nuclear attack
Sylvie Claire / April 17, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called on the world to prepare for Russia's possible use of its nuclear weapons, in an interview with several Ukrainian media.
We should not wait for the moment when Russia decides to use its nuclear weapons. We should prepare for that, he said during the interview, which was broadcast by six Ukrainian news sites, as well as by the Ukrainian presidency on Telegram.
We need medicine (against radiation), air raid shelters, he said. We need to talk to them, sign treaties, crack down economically. (The Russians) can use any weapon, I'm convinced.
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky had already judged that the whole world should be worried about the risk that Russian President Vladimir Putin, cornered by his military setbacks in Ukraine, would use a tactical nuclear weapon.
Not only me, I think the whole world, all countries must be concerned, he said on the American channel CNN.
He echoed the statements in this sense of the boss of the American foreign intelligence William Burns who had estimated the day before that such a threat should not be taken lightly.
We haven't really seen any concrete signs such as military deployments or actions that would add to our concerns, the CIA chief said.
After the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the Kremlin briefly mentioned putting its nuclear forces on alert.
Moscow will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine only in the event of an existential threat against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on CNN, without further clarification.
According to the respected Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Russia is equipped with 1,588 deployed Russian nuclear warheads, including 812 on land-based missiles, 576 on submarines and 200 on bombers.