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World News


CIA ESTIMATED 50% CHANCE THAT RUSSIA WOULD NUKE UKRAINE IF IT RISKED LOSING WAR:
REPORT

By Ronny Reyes

Published March 10, 2024, 12:50 p.m. ET

The Biden administration scrambled behind the scenes to prepare for the imminent
possibility that Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a
shocking new report revealed.

In 2022, the CIA warned President Biden of a 50% change or higher that Russia
would reach for its nuclear arsenal if it found its forces were decimated and
the illegally annexed territory of Crimea was at risk, according to the New York
Times.

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Those reports caused Biden to deliver his famous “Armageddon” speech at an Oct.
6, 2022, fundraiser in New York City, in which he warned, “We have not faced the
prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

5
Joe Biden warned his administration that the world may see its first nuclear
strike in 77 years after learning that Russia could be ready to launch a bomb in
the first year of the Ukraine war. Getty Images
5
US intelligence suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin would reach for his
nuclear arsenal if Ukraine’s army launched a widely successful counterattack.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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RUSSIA GAINS GROUND IN WAR AS UKRAINIAN TROOPS FACE AMMO SHORTAGES


SAFETY AT ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT WORSENING, UKRAINE SAYS

Biden’s remarks came just a week before the 60th anniversary of the Cold War
incident, with the president echoing his intelligence officials’ warning that
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s would be serious should he ever suggest a
nuclear option.

“He is not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons
or biological or chemical weapons because his military is, you might say,
significantly underperforming,” Biden told attendees at the New York fundraiser.
 

After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US
intelligence officials initially said there was no evidence Russia planned to
use weapons on mass destruction.

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However, after Ukraine counter-attacked and began to push back the Russian
advance, the CIA warned that it had intercepted increasing chatter from Russian
forces about the possibility of using smaller-scale “tactical” nuclear weapons.

Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley called the
situation “the nuclear paradox” for the US, which has provided $74 billion in
aid to Ukraine in the hopes of beating back the Kremlin.

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“The more successful the Ukrainians are at ousting the Russian invasion, the
more likely Putin is to threaten to use a bomb — or reach for it,” he told the
Times.

5
Biden was allegedly warned that the risk of a nuclear strike in Ukraine could be
50% or higher if Russia lost Crimea. REUTERS

The October 2022 talks were originally highlighted by CNN’s Jim Sciutto, who has
gone into depth about the warnings in his upcoming book, “The Return of Great
Powers.”

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Senior Biden administration officials told Sciutto that following the warning,
the Biden’s team was “preparing rigorously” for the possibility that Russia
would deploy a nuke in Ukraine.

One senior official reportedly said the National Security Council convened to
discuss how the US would react to a nuclear strike by Russia, and how they could
deter one or preempt it.

5
Ukraine continues to suffer casualties along the frontlines as Russia chips away
that Kyiv’s defenses. REUTERS

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“I don’t think many of us coming into our jobs expected to be spending
significant amounts of time preparing for a scenario which a few years ago was
believed to be from a bygone era,” the official told Sciutto of the meeting that
was reminiscent of Cold War talks.

Along with the intelligence briefings, fears of the possible nuclear strike were
heightened that same month when Kremlin officials began claiming that Kyiv could
use a “dirty bomb” against Russia.

Officials feared the claims were part of a campaign to justify the possible use
of a nuclear attack by Russia.

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5
Ukraine has appealed for more immediate aid from Western allies to fight back
the invading Russian forces. Donetsk Region Prosecutor`s Office/AFP via Getty
Images
What do you think? Post a comment.

Now that Russia appears to have the upper hand one the battlefield, US
intelligence no longer believes there is an imminent risk of a nuclear strike,
the Times reported.

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However, Putin has not ruled out the use of his nation’s vast nuclear arsenal —
which includes mobile ballistic missiles in Russia, nuclear missile submarines
throughout the world and long-range bombers capable of carrying nukes — after
touting last month that his weapons can “hit targets” in the West should western
nations directly interfere in the war.

“[Western nations] must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets
on their territory,” Putin said during his annual address to parliament. “All
this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the
destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?!”

The eerie warning came after Putin referenced an idea floated by French
President Emmanuel Macron of European NATO members sending ground troops to
Ukraine, which was rejected by the US, Britain and Germany, among others.


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3/10/24
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