Utterly terrifying threats from Russia.
Putin (Image: Getty)
Millions of innocent people face death if Vladimir Putin pushes his nuclear button, the West was warned today.
‘Professor Doomsday’ Sergei Karaganov, 74, sinister Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, was a longtime adviser to the Russian dictator.
He bluntly warned that Russia will go nuclear if Western allies such as the UK send troops into Ukraine or touch the Kremlin’s Baltic Sea outpost, Kaliningrad, or other territory.
“I hope it does not come to that, but Russia would be forced to launch a nuclear strike if NATO countries deployed troops to Ukrainian territory or if there were a direct threat to Russian territory,” he said.
“Fortunately, both the Foreign Minister [Sergei Lavrov] and the President [Vladimir Putin] himself have stated that if the situation escalates—for instance, if NATO were to act directly on our soil, specifically in Kaliningrad—the war would be short.”
He gave a chilling smile as he said: “It is absolutely clear that such a war would be nuclear.”
Karaganov claimed: “I do not want that, and I am actively working to prevent such a scenario.”
Yet he boasted: “A nuclear war in Europe could easily be won.
“But it would inflict terrible moral damage on us, and millions of innocent people would perish.”
The deaths, he implied, would be in Europe.
He did not mention the prospect of a reprisal strike by NATO.
Reminded by an interviewer that he earlier proposed “launching a preemptive nuclear strike”.
“It’s not too late. It’s never too late,” he replied.
“I hope things won’t come to that, but I am very pleased that both the Russian President and the Foreign Minister have started saying that if a war were to break out, it would be very short.
“And that means exactly what I was saying.”
Karaganov was for 12 years an advisor to the Kremlin and hosted a discussion with the dictator in 2024.
He is academic supervisor of the prestigious Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics (HSE), and of its Institute for Global Military Economics and Strategy.
The Moscow’s Higher School of Economics lists him as a distinguished professor and member of its Academic Council.
He is also chairman of the editorial board of Russia in Global Affairs.