LETTER: ‘Western nuclear narratives have nothing to do with expert opinion’

Your recent Reuters article refers (‘Ukraine war drives shift in Russian nuclear thinking — IISS study,’ January 22). We wonder how much longer Western “experts on Russia” will barefacedly push their lopsided picture of the situation and completely ignore the facts.

This is what we call “brainwashing” — to try to make people believe you by constantly repeating the same story while preventing alternative information from reaching them. Why is the collective West so afraid to let both sides speak and let people decide for themselves who they believe?

Once again: there are two reasons stipulated by the Russian Military Doctrine for the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia. The first is the use of nuclear weapons against us, which would entail a so-called retaliatory strike, the second is an existential threat to the Russian state — even if conventional weapons are used, but the very existence of Russia as a state is threatened. None of those are relevant at the moment, by our estimate.

That is what President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised on numerous occasions (including in the recent Tucker Carlson interview). Western officials can interpret Putin’s statements any way they like — the sense of his words won’t change. They can tell whatever horror stories they wish to extort additional money from taxpayers, send more weapons to Ukraine and prolong the conflict.

Mainstream media are free to sell whatever lies they like about the situation around Ukraine to their readership (and they have been willingly doing that), such as that the Russian economy is “in tatters” because of Western sanctions, or that “Ukraine is winning”, or that Russia is desperate and ready to resort to nuclear weapons. We don’t care much about it and have no doubts that all the objectives of the special military operation will be achieved. No “wonder weapon” will help the West.

Western nuclear narratives have nothing to do with expert opinion. We suspect this pure propaganda is purposed to prepare the public for possible use of weapons of mass destruction against Russia. Western elites got so engaged in Ukraine affairs that even as the situation on the battlefield turns worse and worse for Kyiv, they can’t simply back-pedal without losing face. That’s why they keep raising the stakes in their proxy war against Russia. This is a very dangerous game.

Ilya Rogachev
Russia’ s ambassador to SA

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