LIVE UPDATES UPDATED MON, SEP 26 20228:24 AM EDT U.S. warns of 'horrific' consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CNBC.com ^ | September 26, 2022 | Natasha Turak

[Timber Rattler]

Washington responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's veiled threat of using nuclear weapons, warning of serious consequences and that the U.S. response would be "decisive."

"The consequences would be horrific," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview.

The first Russians drafted in the country's mobilization drive have started arriving at bases, and military analysts are raising doubts as to Moscow's ability to equip and train all of the new troops. The number cited for the mobilization — 300,000 — is nearly double the size of the initial invasion force.

Anti-mobilization protests appear to be continuing, with reports of standoffs with authorities and several arrests in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan.

Meanwhile, Russian-led referendums in the occupied areas of Ukraine are underway, and Ukrainian officials as well as people inside the territories say that some people are being made to vote at gunpoint, and that Russian forces are staging votes. Western and Ukrainian officials are condemning the referendums as a sham that will allow Putin to annex the territories and then use them to justify threatening anyone trying to retake them with nuclear weapons. Moscow denies these accusations.

[Timber Rattler]

Do Russian nukes still even work, considering how shabby their maintenance has been on their other military vehicles and equipment?

[Phoenix8]

I don’t know what shape they are in now but at the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990 they reportedly had huge numbers of Cold War equipment and weapons in moth ball storage. Even ww2 era artillery etc. Probably could equip them with that.

Unless the movie Lord of War was accurate.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399295/

[Red Badger]

Is this the updated update?..................

[Thunder90]

They are mobilizing their versions of tje national guard and some of their inactive ready reserves. We did similar things in 2002-2003 for the Iraq War.

[Venkman]

This looming global catastrophe all for a corrupt money laundering puppet state used by the world’s elites for their personal profit. Thousands, maybe millions killed for the Hunter Biden’s of the world.

[2banana]

The Russians have nukes on hypersonics.

And, over what? A corrupt to the bone Ukraine that has banned all opposition parties, arrested opposition leadership, seized all media, arrests dissenters and has brided pefo Joe and his Coke head perverted son.

Zelensky’s parry was originally installed in a 2014 coup overthrowing a legitimate elected government and then proceeded to shell the Donbas for eight years killing 14,000.

Yeah, that is certainly worth the destruction of the modern world.

[Lurker]

“The Russians have nukes on hypersonics.”

All ICBMs are by definition hypersonic.

L

[Terry L Smith]

i’ve known about “the soviet/russian threat” since 1957.
As a child, I was directly threatened during The Cuban Missile Crisis, as a dependent child living on an airbase.

I have knowledge of what an atomic bomb, of any size, will do.
I do not wish to gain that experience.
I do not wish that experience towards anyone, even innocent Ivan Ivanovich’s grandson/granddaughter.

Mssr. Putin wants to commit national suicide.
Leave him be ... he’ll be dead soon, anyway.

[KobraKai]

Defcon Warning System still has us at Defcon 5, which is green, or peace, or no imminent threats. I find this absolutely ridiculous and that website is clearly compromised and run by leftists. When Trump was POTUS I don’t remember ever being at Defcon 5, it was always 4 sometimes 3!

Putin is actually for real threatening nuclear war with NATO, but since Biden is in charge they don’t increase the DEFCON level???

[jdsteel]

“ Zelensky’s parry was originally installed in a 2014 coup overthrowing a legitimate elected government and then proceeded to shell the Donbas for eight years killing 14,000.”

A fun house mirror view of historical events.

Zelensky may not be all that his fans of today say, but he was elected as a reformer by Ukrainians fed up with the corrupt Russian puppet running the show before him. BTW, those were the folks that took care of Hunter. And shelling by Ukraine happened after Russia invaded…the first time.

Sometimes there are no good guys in the story, but the crew in charge prior to Zelensky and Putin are definitely worse.

[DannyTN]

Ret. Gen Keane said yesterday that the risk of Russia using tactical nukes are low because:

• That would bring the US and NATO into the war and response would probably include destroying the black sea fleet and all of the Russian military in Ukraine, and probably some military bases in Russia.
• Russia's troops aren't trained or prepared to handle a radioactive battle field. Soviet Union's troops were and had equiment, but Russia's are not.
• Putin wants to win the war, and this would guarantee a loss.

To which I will add:

• Putin wants Ukraine's territory and resources. He doen't want radioactive land, so using a nuke would be counterproductive.
• The Radioactive fallout would spread over Europe and Russia and maybe even China. This would ensure Russia remains a pariah state for even longer than the Ukraine invasion itself will.

[2banana]

ICBMs are only hypersonics on the way down in a long loop trajectory that takes them into space.

Russians hypersonics are hypersonics in their entire mission and fly sub space. Impossible to defend against or even predict course.

[2banana]

And then NATO and all of the EU infrastructure would be leveled. And probably American infrastructure too.

Russia isn’t Afghanistan or Iraq. They have a first rate nuclear force to include hypersonics and nuclear subs.

[Pollard]

if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine

I doubt the nukes would be used in Ukraine, a country on their own border.

[DannyTN]

No that won’t happen.

US and NATO wouldn’t use nuclear weapons in response to Russia’s use of a tactical nuke in Ukraine.

And Russia is not stupid enough to commit suicide by using any nuke directly against the US or NATO.

My understanding is the US and NATO have communicated to Russia what the response would be. (And they’re not bluffing).

[2banana]

Well, that makes me feel so much better.

And Russia isn’t bluffing either.

So, is it worth taking this chance over a corrupt to the bone Ukraine run by a tyrant?

“No that won’t happen.”

[DannyTN]

Yes it’s worth it.

You can’t live your life in fear of a nuclear war. We would have surrendered to Russia 70 years ago if we did.

And we know from history, what happens if you ignore an aggressor who’s invading other countries and annexing their lands. It’s means an eventual bigger war against an even strong opponent. Best to nip this in the bud now.

I don’t know how corrupt Ukraine is. Russia seems mighty corrupt. But I haven’t seen Ukraines troops invading Russia. Russia is invading Ukraine.

[bert]

Is Ukraine more corrupt than Chicago? Illinois? Baltimore, Philadelphia?

Biden? Obama?

[DannyTN]

Last I checked, it was Joe Biden who bribed Ukraine to fire the honest prosecutor.

And it was a Russian leaning oligarch that bribed Hunter and put Joe up to it.

[Lurker]

Once something hypersonic is moving in a straight line it’s not going to vary its course much. It can’t without tearing itself apart.

And hypersonic or not the launch will be detected and responded to.

L