Ukraine crisis is receiving more attention worldwide now. Bennett Ramberg, a former foreign affairs officer in the US State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the author of Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy, is very concerned: “Of all the obvious dangers that come with war, one of the most far-reaching in the current Russia-Ukraine conflict has been woefully underappreciated. Even if commanders took pains to avoid striking Ukraine’s 15 nuclear power reactors, that might not be enough to avoid a catastrophe.”
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock 100 seconds to midnight in January, but the nuclear risks in the current escalation are growing so fast it is time to reconsider even the Doomsday Clock. The risk of nuclear weapons use, damage to nuclear infrastructure and possible radioactive contamination in Europe are once again on the rise. 15 Ukraine’s reactors could be in the line of fire, writes Linda Pentz Gunter.
A Military Infrastructure in Chernobyl. Photo by Ilja Nedilko.
James Ragland and Adam Lowther from 19FortyFive researched and reported Russia’s significant arsenal of battlefield nuclear weapons: an estimated 3,000-6,000 intra-theater nuclear weapons. Analysts do not exclude a limited Russian nuclear strike.
During the meeting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a warning was expressed that this is not going to be a war between Ukraine and Russia, should diplomatic efforts fail. This is going to be a European war, a full-fledged war.
Volodymyr Zelensky reminds everyone that Ukraine is keenly awaiting a pullback of Russian troops from the country’s borders. According to Zelensky, up to 50,000 Russian troops and weaponry are deployed in Crimea, another 35,000 in Russian-occupied Donbas, and over 100,000 more on Ukraine’s border.
Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s borders, which will be an important signal of de-escalation. “Nobody needs a war. But we do not invite anyone with weapons to our land. I can say for sure that the state has changed, society and the army have changed. And now, there will be no occupation of any city or territory. And there will be, unfortunately, a tragedy if the escalation against our state begins. That is why I openly say: this will not be a war between Ukraine and Russia – this will be a war in Europe. Full-scale war because no one will give up their territories and people anymore… Reducing risks is a powerful, armed army that is not advancing,” the President said.