An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested moving to a nuclear war and floated the idea of striking the headquarters of the NATO military alliance in Brussels, Belgium.
State TV host Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most-prominent figures in Kremlin-backed media, made the comment on his radio show Full Contact. The Daily Beast’s Julia Davis shared an excerpt of the broadcast on Friday on X, formerly Twitter. Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
“Meanwhile in Russia: Vladimir Solovyov brainstormed about what else the Kremlin could do to harm the United States, like arming the Houthis and anyone else who is targeting US military bases and ships. He also suggested destroying Elon Musk’s satellites,” Davis said in a caption accompanying the video.
The idea that a nuclear war could break out amid the conflict in Ukraine has been floated by numerous Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and prime minister. Putin said in September 2022 that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its “territorial integrity”, and the topic is regularly discussed on Russian state TV.
Kremlin propagandists have routinely warned of a looming world war and strikes by Russia on NATO territory over aid and weapons provided by the Joe Biden administration and members of the military alliance to Kyiv.
“For some reason, NATO members have a feeling, as one Czech commander said, that they are ready for a war with Russia and this war will be waged with non-nuclear means,” Solovyov said. “Why? Because this is what they want?”
Solovyov added that Russia should move on to using nuclear weapons to show the West something.
“For starters, conduct testing. Really blow up a bomb to show them something, so that everyone can see it,” Solovyov said.
“One million pieces of ammunition! Emptying their own stockpiles. This is what Europe is calling for right now. This means Europe is naked! Right now, they have no ammo,” the Kremlin propagandist said, adding that NATO members should understand that Russia can attack them, including with nuclear weapons.
“If someone doesn’t understand they’re at war with us, listen to our people on the front lines. They have no doubt whatsoever who is confronting us,” Solovyov added. “Strike [NATO] headquarters!”
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Just weeks ago, Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said in a post on his Telegram channel that, should Ukraine attack missile launch sites on Russian soil using long-range missiles provided by the West, Moscow could respond with a nuclear strike.
Attacks by Ukraine risk infringing paragraph 19 of Russia’s 2020 nuclear doctrine, Medvedev said, warning that all those who support Kyiv “should remember this.”
The paragraph states that Russia could use nuclear weapons to respond to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or to the use of conventional weapons against Russia “when the very existence of the state is put under threat,” Reuters reported.
“This is not a right to self-defense, but a direct and obvious basis for our use of nuclear weapons against such a state,” added Medvedev.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.