Russian president Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons after his army suffered a bruising defeat in northeast Ukraine, a former Nato deputy secretary general has warned.
“I fear that they will strike back now in really unpredictable ways and ways that may even involve weapons of mass destruction,” Rose Gottemoeller told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday.
Ms Gottemoeller explained that Moscow could order a “nuclear demonstration strike, either a single strike over the Black Sea or perhaps a strike at Ukrainian military facility in order to strike terror not only into the hearts of the Ukrainian but also the global partners and allies of Ukraine”.
Her warning comes after Ukraine succeeded in recapturing a swathe of territory in the northeastern Kharkiv province, with US officials claiming the victory could mark a turning point in the war.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Monday that Ukrainian soldiers have liberated more than 6,000 square kilometres of land in just 12 days. He called on his western allies to send more weapons so that his army could press home its advantage.
