Russia claims to have shot down S-200 Ukrainian missile
A former senior Russian army officer has urged military commanders to save their country from the “mad idiot” Putin, as fears of nuclear escalation grow.
On Monday, Ukraine’s military confirmed it had liberated the strategically important village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia province.
The capture of the settlement is being hailed as a major breach of Russian defensive lines in the south and opens the way for potential further significant advances towards Melitopol, a city described as the gateway to the Crimea.
However, any major battlefield success for Ukraine may provoke Putin to deploy nuclear weapons in a desperate bid to save himself and his faltering regime
The Russian president and his cronies have repeatedly warned that they will unleash nuclear terror in Ukraine, if Kyiv’s forces look like they are gaining a decisive advantage in the war.
Read more… Putin sparks mystery as supporters pray Russian leader is ‘alive and healthy’
In a Telegram post at the end of July, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yet again raised the spectre of atomic armageddon, saying the Kremlin “would have to use nuclear weapons” if the Ukrainian offensive “succeeded and ended up with part of our land being taken away”.
The threats have been described as “real” by US President Joe Biden, who has admitted to being worried that his Russian counterpart will go nuclear if the military situation in Ukraine drastically deteriorates.
These fears are shared by a former senior Russian army officer, who recently fled his home land after prosecutors opened a criminal case against him for spreading “fake news” about the military.
Retired Lt. Colonel Sergey Gulyaev told Express.co.uk that the Kremlin tyrant knows he cannot win the war and will resort to extreme measures to get himself out of the mess he has created.
He predicted that the Russian president would either deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield or blow up the Zaporizhzhia atomic power station in a bid to cling on to power.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
But he warned Putin that choosing the atomic option would destroy Russia and only accelerate his own demise.
“I can see Putin using tactical nuclear weapons or blowing up the Zaporozhzhia nuclear power station to create a second Chernobyl – but it won’t save him,” he said.
“He understands he can’t win the war and is looking for a big event to get out of the situation he is in.
“He is inadequate in every sense of the word and thinks about things in a very narrow way – he actually believes if he doesn’t exist, then Russia can’t exist.
“But what officers have to understand is that if they use nuclear weapons, then this will be the end of Russia, as well as of Putin.
Don’t miss…
Desperate Putin sends in Russia’s most valuable units to halt Ukraine’s attack[LATEST]
Russian US Open star causes storm liking pro-Putin and anti-American videos[LATEST]
Far East buyer snaps up London flat for £22m as rich return to UK[LATEST]
“So I hope those officers who have to carry out [nuclear] orders will think about their families, their country and their oath to defend their people and not one mad idiot who sits in the Kremlin.”
Mr Gulyaev, who spent two years in Afghanistan with the 58th automobile brigade, praised Ukraine’s military chiefs for their conduct of the war and insisted the counteroffensive was making good progress.
He said General Valerii Zaluzhny was operating smartly on limited means and was not needlessly sacrificing the lives of his troops – unlike his Russian adversaries.
The former Lt. Colonel believes time is on Ukraine’s side and that no pressure should be placed on Kyiv for achieving its military objectives in its counteroffensive.
“Zaluzhny won’t commit to a mad attacks and is most likely waiting until he has more aviation at his disposal,” he explained.
“Without air superiority you can’t attack – Russia currently has that.
“As a commander, you are not going to send your best armour and tanks into battle when they have no air protection.
“Bigger attacks will come but he won’t do it when he is naked.
“He is waiting for more aviation – air defences, artillery shells, de-mining machines because sappers are too vulnerable.
“There is no need to put a timeframe on Ukrainian successes.”
Source: Read Full Article