Growing Concerns Over Russian Nuclear Attack: "Fear Putin May Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons if Cornered"

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] There are concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin may decide to use small nuclear weapons amid the invasion of Ukraine.

The US daily The New York Times (NYT) warned on the 21st (local time) that Russia might use tactical nuclear weapons with limited destructive power in Ukraine.

Russia has developed and possesses numerous tactical nuclear weapons that are actually less powerful than the first nuclear bomb ever dropped in history on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II in 1945.

According to Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia is estimated to have about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons. The US has deployed about 100 tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. Experts say that if President Putin, facing international pressure, is cornered, he might break the taboo and pull out the nuclear weapon card.

Ulrich K?hn, a nuclear expert active at the University of Hamburg and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), said, "The possibility (of Russia using nuclear weapons) is small but growing," adding, "The war is not going well for Russia, and Western pressure is increasing."

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