US intelligence suggests that Putin may use nuclear weapons: What is known
Photo: Russia may use nuclear weapons, according to US intelligence (Russian media)
US intelligence has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to nuclear escalation in the event of failures in the war, Bloomberg reports.
According to the media outlet, the warning about the possibility of Putin using nuclear weapons is included in the recent report from the Director of the US National Intelligence, published on March 25.
"Russia's inability to achieve quick and decisive victories on the battlefield, combined with Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, continues to raise concerns that Putin may use nuclear weapons," the document states.
At the same time, US intelligence believes that both Russia and Ukraine likely have more incentives to prolong the conflict than to rush toward a full resolution.
Although both sides have shown a willingness to test partial ceasefires, the "leaders for now probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement," the experts note in the report.
According to US intelligence, Moscow maintains an advantage on the battlefield: a prolonged war of attrition works in favor of the Russian army and "will lead to a gradual but steady erosion of Kyiv’s position on the battlefield, regardless of any U.S. or allied attempts to impose new and greater costs on Moscow."
However, analysts emphasize that a prolonged war could harm the Russian economy and threaten "undesired escalation with the West." For Ukraine, the risk lies in the uncertainty of future support from allies.
Nuclear threat from Russia
US intelligence has also concluded that Russia is likely working on the development of a new satellite capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Analysts emphasized that such a weapon could lead to "devastating consequences" for the US and the world.
Additionally, last year, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, revealed that Russia plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space.
Furthermore, it was recently reported that Russia has begun military exercises involving missiles with nuclear warheads. The exercises involve Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is important to note that this is not the first military drill of its kind in Russia.
