WION, Indian global television, on the Russian nuclear weapon drills at the Ukrainian border

In a six minute interview this morning on India’s premier English-language global broadcaster, I was given the opportunity to talk about video coverage of ongoing Russian military exercises using nuclear capable missiles at the Ukrainian border.  In particular, Russian state television yesterday drew attention to their MIG31s carrying nuclear armed hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.  The Kinzhals have a 500 km range, carry a 5 kiloton punch and are virtually unstoppable, as their use in the destruction of American Patriot air defense installations near Kiev demonstrated some months ago when only conventionally armed.

Let us have no illusions.  This end game phase of the Russian-Ukraine war, when the Ukrainian forces are being battered on the ground and forced to retreat with heavy losses, is fraught with dangers of escalation to hot war between NATO and Russia. The United States, Britain and France have been throwing caution to the wind and are escalating madly to prevent disaster on the field of battle and Ukrainian capitulation. Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons exercises represent an attempt to bring the West to its senses. Whether they will succeed in doing so is an open question.

Transcription below by a reader

Rahesha Sehgal, World Is One News: 0:00
We're now being joined by Dr. Gilbert Doctorow, author, historian and political commentator from Brussels. And he will be talking to us about how the Russian forces have begun military drills near Ukraine, simulation of tactical nuclear weapons. And this comes two weeks after Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced that the country will carry out drills to test the readiness of personnel and equipment of non-strategic nuclear weapons. Thank you so much for taking our time and joining us here on WION.

Dr Gilbert Doctorow:
Thanks for the invitation.

WION: 0:35
Right. I want to first start by asking you that Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has argued that the measure will not be escalatory in the ongoing conflict. And earlier, Macron upheld the possibility of Western troops in Ukraine, and David Cameron said that Ukraine is entitled to use British missiles to target Russia, seeing them as increased Western threat and then ordered these drills. How do you assess this situation at hand right now?

Doctorow: 1:05
These developments are closely interlinked with what is happening on the ground along the line of contact. Namely, that the Ukrainians are being pushed back, that they are retreating, that Kharkov is under threat, Kharkov being the second-largest Ukrainian city and the one closest to the border with Russia, from where the Ukrainian forces have been firing U.S. and French artillery, missiles into residential districts of the Belgorod urban area that is part of the Russian Federation.

1:42
So the situation on the ground is dire for the Ukrainian forces. The-- Russian television reported yesterday on progress being made from Lugansk province or region, heading west, pushing back Ukrainian forces in the direction of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, which are two important cities in the middle of the neighboring province or region, Donetsk. Now, these signs are clear, and the West is reacting to them by increasingly irresponsible and threatening maneuvers. The French have invited Russian speakers to join the Foreign Legion for the obvious purpose of fighting in Ukraine. We have heard the items that you mentioned at the outset, where the United States in particular, is releasing Ukraine from the obligation not to strike targets inside Russia and to use its missiles in the most destructive and terrorist fashion, to make it seem as though the Ukraines are holding up their end, when they are not.

2:55
So the response from the Russians has been what we saw yesterday, and I watched on Russian state television, five or six minutes of very explicit coverage showing the kind of delivery systems, the kind of jets that are being now in practice and are working with nuclear-capable missiles near the Ukrainian border. That is the situation today, and it is quite threatening, of course.

WION: 3:22
Right. Right, Dr. Gilbert. Ukraine on the front lines is struggling to keep up amid stalled ammunition supplies and depleting resources. It has now asked its allies to shoot down Russian missiles from its own territory. Do you think that if this were to happen, it would mark an escalation in the ongoing war?

Doctorow: 3:41
Well, the escalation is underway. It's moving by little steps, but the direction of those steps is perfectly clear. It's escalation. I would say the United States in particular, by releasing the Ukrainians from any particular restraints for the delivery of long-distance weapons such as the ATACMSs. We know that two days ago the Ukrainians reported they had sunk a Russian naval vessel off Sevastopol using ATACMSs. That is a very capable ground-launched American long-range missile. So, the ongoing escalation from both sides is obvious to any observer.

WION: 4:28
Right. Russia's drills also comes as a show of strength and might. What do you think is the larger objective here?

Doctorow:
Well, the objective of the Russian military exercises is to sober up the West. Now, let's look at what they showed on television. They were ground-launched nuclear-capable missiles, which are portable. More importantly, there are air-launched. And they show the MiG-31s that are carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that are going to deliver five-kiloton nuclear, tactical nuclear weapons. These Kinzhal are unstoppable.

5:12
So, all talk of shooting down Russian missiles is utter nonsense for people who know anything about the military prowess of the Russian armaments. The Kinzhal is precisely the missile that has destroyed American Patriot anti-aircraft or air defense systems, which are supposed to be the most sophisticated in the Western world. They were destroyed. They will be further destroyed if the United States proceeds with delivery of another Patriot. So, the Russians have shown their muscles yesterday, and anybody among military experts looking at the MiG-31s and their capability will understand that this is not a bluff.

WION: 5:54
Right. Right, Dr. Gilbert. Thank you so much for taking our time and joining us here on WION with your insights.

Doctorow:
My pleasure.