Intelligence Vets: US Media Yarn About Nuclear Chatter by Russian Military is Nothingburger
17:40 GMT 04.11.2022 (Updated: 10:18 GMT 07.12.2022)
© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich
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As the US midterms are approaching, the US mainstream media has again started to speculate about Russia's "nuclear bugaboo," citing a US intelligence assessment of alleged discussions about nuclear weapons by the Russian military, with a proviso that there is zero indication that Moscow has any intent to use weapons of mass destruction.
"It's simply a sign of weakness and desperation on the part of Joe Biden and his administration," said Larry Johnson, a veteran of the CIA and the State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, which provided training to the US military’s special operations taskforce for 24 years. "If things were going well in Ukraine, as far as the United States was concerned, if Ukraine really was defeating Russia on the battlefield, there'd be no need to talk like this. But that's not the case. The tables have turned and Ukraine is in a very desperate situation. And so, as a result, you get these kinds of lies being circulated to try to rally public support.
The US media first broke about the alleged nuclear chatter by the Russian military on November 2, presenting a gloomy picture of imminent nuclear doom. One US newspaper claimed that "senior Russian military leaders" had recently held discussions on "when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine," adding that the intelligence assessment of the alleged conversations circulated within the US government in mid-October.
However, later in the day, another American media outlet clarified that the assessment, which was drafted by the National Intelligence Council, is neither "a high confidence product" nor raw intelligence, but just an "analysis." There is also a possibility that the document was taken out of context and that it does not necessarily mean that Russia is up to using nuclear arms, according to the US media.
To cap it off, there is also zero indication that Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin was involved in the alleged discussions, the media outlet continued, admitting that Washington has still not seen any signs that the Kremlin has any intention to use nuclear arms against Kiev.
"I don’t have any comment on the particulars of this reporting," National Security Council official John Kirby said when asked about the NIC's "analysis." He underscored that the US sees no indications that Russia is making preparations for the use of nuclear arms.
Kirby noted, however, that "Russia’s comments about the potential use of nuclear weapons are deeply concerning, and we take them seriously," in reference to Vladimir Putin's September 21 speech in which the Russian president warned Washington against nuclear blackmail and said that Russia would protect its territory with all military means. Subsequently, Putin's notion was misrepresented by US politicians and the mainstream press as nothing short of a "nuclear threat."
However, Russia's nuclear doctrine clearly forbids the use of nuclear arms of any sort unless the country is nuked, or faces a conventional attack so severe that it threatens the country’s existence.
"It's not just that they are lying, they're not even accurately representing what Vladimir Putin has said," said Johnson. "They are misrepresenting it. They are, in fact, fabricating claims that Putin has talked about using nuclear weapons. He has not. The closest he's come was two or three weeks back. He indicated that Russia would use all means at its disposal to protect itself. But he did not at any time indicate that - particularly in Ukraine - that he was prepared to use nuclear weapons. In fact, he has stated the opposite."
Dirty Bomb: 'Very Dangerous Possible Development'
The latest fuss over the alleged Russian "nuclear threat" comes against a backdrop of reports warning about a potential false flag operation by Kiev involving a "dirty bomb." A "dirty bomb" is an explosive device that contains radioactive material, be it uranium, plutonium, or other radioactive waste material. After being detonated, a dirty bomb could disperse radioactive materials over several square kilometers, resulting in a contamination zone. The rationale behind such a potential false flag by Kiev would be to accuse Moscow of using nuclear arms in a bid to isolate Russia, according to Russian officials.
Previously, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a series of telephone talks with his French, British, American, and Turkish counterparts, warning them of a possible nuclear false flag by Kiev. Western leaders dismissed the threat, claiming that Moscow is escalating tensions over Ukraine.
One should not underestimate the possibility of such a false flag operation on the part of Kiev, warned Philip Giraldi, a former CIA station chief and military intelligence officer.
"It would be a high explosive that would be encased or covered with radioactive material that would, in theory, be set off somewhere inside Ukraine and blamed on the Russians," the CIA veteran said. "It would be carried out by the Ukrainian government, which is quite capable of doing this and which has the material in place to carry it out. Zelensky wants direct US and NATO involvement in his war and the expectation would be that the outrage over the dirty bombing would bring about that development. I think it's quite plausible that Zelensky would do this or something else like it and the US and Western media would follow his lead and blame it on Russia. This is a very dangerous possible development."
He highlighted that neither Russia nor the US is interested in a nuclear tit-for-tat, adding, however, that "there is always a danger that a bad series of decisions could place either country on the brink of considering such an action."
For its part, the US mainstream press cannot be trusted in its coverage of the nuclear weapons issue, "as it is dedicated to making both Russia and its leadership look as bad as possible," Giraldi remarked.
Earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging the world's major nuclear powers to reject provocations with weapons of mass destruction.
"We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers," the ministry underscored.
