Physicist Urges Putin to Use Nukes to Cut Ukraine's NATO Aid

By Jim Thomas  | NEWSMAX  |   Thursday, 15 August 2024 

A Russian physicist has sparked controversy by urging President Vladimir Putin to deploy nuclear weapons against Ukraine to disrupt Western aid and accelerate the war's conclusion.

The proposal highlights Russia's growing frustration as the conflict, now in its third year, drags on without a decisive victory, Newsweek reported.

In a letter to Putin, obtained by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Russian physicist Anatoly Volyntsev argued that a nuclear strike could break the current military deadlock and achieve Russia's goals more rapidly.

Volyntsev, a professor at Perm State University, voiced his concerns in an interview with Novaya Gazeta, emphasizing that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has reached a stalemate. He criticized the slow progress of Russian forces despite their apparent advantages on the battlefield.

"The situation at the front has become so bogged down and drawn out," he said, adding that Moscow has yet to execute any significant breakthrough.

Tensions have become heightened between Russia and the West, with relations between Moscow and Washington deteriorating further due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian officials have consistently accused NATO of complicity in the war, citing the alliance's ongoing supply of aid and weapons to Kyiv.

Volyntsev's letter proposed targeting Ukraine's Beskydy Tunnel in the Lviv region, a key rail route reportedly used to transport Western weapons to Ukrainian forces. The physicist argued that conventional weapons would be insufficient to destroy the tunnel, describing it as one of the most secure bomb shelters.

Instead, he suggested a "gentle nuclear strike" using small hydrogen bombs, which he claimed would minimize radioactive contamination and collateral damage.

"Yes, some radioactivity will be induced. But this is an option that does not leave a large radioactive contamination of the atmosphere and load on the soil," Volyntsev said.

He acknowledged the potential for casualties but insisted that the operation could be conducted with "minimal destruction."

Volyntsev described the conflict as a "war of attrition" and suggested that Western support is the primary reason Ukraine has not yet fallen. "Without Western assistance, everything would have ended long ago," he said.

He further argued that blocking the flow of weapons and other critical supplies from the West is essential to achieving Russia's objectives in Ukraine.

On Aug. 6, Kyiv executed a surprise offensive in Russia's Kursk region, capturing nearly as much territory as Russian forces have secured in Ukraine throughout the year. According to Ukrainian Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian troops now control approximately 386 square miles of the Kursk region, The Washington Post reported.

Jim Thomas ✉

Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 year