Russian journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dmitry Muratov on Tuesday denounced Russian propaganda evoking the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, which according to him would lead to “the end of humanity“instead of ending the war.
“I would not rule out the possibility of nuclear weapons being used“, Mr. Muratov told reporters in Geneva.
The Kremlin said it placed its nuclear forces on high alert shortly after invading Ukraine on February 24.
Faced with the support of Western countries for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the possibility of Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons, which according to Russian military doctrine can be used to force an adversary to retreat.
Speaking at a World Press Freedom Day event, Muratov, whose Novaya Gazeta newspaper was forced to suspend publication amid Russian military intervention, said propagandists of the Kremlin were trying to make the use of nuclear weapons more acceptable to Russian public opinion.
“For two weeks already, we have been hearing on our televisions that the nuclear silos should be open“, he added. “And we also hear that these horrible weapons should be used if arms deliveries to Ukraine continue“.
Contrary to propaganda claims, he stressed, the deployment of such weapons would not mean “not the end of the war“. More “it will be the end of humanity“, he estimated.
According to Mr. Muratov, the power “absolute, without restrictions“acquired by Mr. Putin is the scariest thing in Russia today.
If the master of the Kremlin decides that nuclear weapons should be used, “no one can prevent him from making this decision… neither parliament, nor civil society, nor the public“, he added.