Exclusive: Officials reveal US had ‘rigorously’ readied for possible Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine in late 2022.
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In late 2022, the US began preparing for the potential of Russia striking Ukraine with a nuclear weapon, marking the first nuclear attack in war since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The Biden administration feared Russia might use a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon and carried out an unprecedented level of contingency planning in response. This concern arose from a collection of developments, analysis, and highly sensitive new intelligence, including communications among Russian officials explicitly discussing a nuclear strike.
CNN Report: US Prepared for Russia’s Nuclear Strike on Ukraine in 2022
The US was seriously preparing for the possibility of Russia striking Ukraine with a nuclear weapon in late 2022, creating the fear of the first nuclear attack in war since WWII, according to two senior administration officials. This concern was not groundless; officials feared Russia might use a tactical nuclear weapon.
The reporting of these fears was first made in 2022, but the author’s new book, “The Return of Great Powers”, sheds new light on the level of contingency planning undertaken due to increasing alarm within the Biden administration.
Administration officials stated they believed it was their duty to prepare meticulously to prevent such an event. The assessment was based on a combination of developments, analysis, and sensitive new intelligence. The fear of a potential nuclear attack was not purely hypothetical; it was based on some specific information gathered.
Due to a potential threat of Russia using nuclear weapons, the National Security Council had numerous meetings to devise contingency plans. The fear of a nuclear attack intensified as Russian forces started losing ground in Ukraine. American officials were worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin might perceive losses in Ukraine as a direct threat to Russia, due to his claims of Ukrainian territory being part of Russia.
In an alarming development, Russian propaganda began circulating stories about a possible Ukrainian ‘dirty bomb’, which US officials feared could be a pretext for a Russian nuclear attack. Another concerning factor was the detection of communication among Russian officials discussing a potential nuclear strike.
Despite all these indicators, at no time did the US detect intelligence showing Russia was mobilising its nuclear forces to carry out such an attack. The US had the capability of tracking movements of Russia’s nuclear forces but were not confident about detecting a move of tactical nuclear weapons due to their smaller size.
International Intervention
The US also sought assistance from non-allies, such as China and India, to discourage Russia from carrying out such an attack. Public statements from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a crucial role in averting a crisis. Still, the US and its allies remain vigilant about similar threats in the future.
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