More and more Russians believe a nuclear strike against Ukraine is justified

According to one in three Russians, a nuclear strike against Ukraine would be justified. This is the result of a study by the independent Russian polling institute Levada.

In a poll released on July 4, 10 percent of respondents said they thought such an attack was “definitely” justified, while 24 percent said “probably.”

The figures collected in June 2024 were up 5 percentage points from the previous year.

While a majority of respondents – 52% – oppose the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, this is a decrease from 56% in April 2023.

The poll found that those who support a nuclear strike tend to be older and get their news from Russian state media.

The opponents were younger and were more likely to get their news from YouTube.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview published on May 25 that the United States had informed Russia that if nuclear weapons were used, there would be an American response with conventional weapons against Russian forces in Ukraine.

“The Americans have told the Russians that if you detonate a nuclear bomb, we will attack and destroy all your targets (positions) in Ukraine with conventional weapons, even if no one is killed,” Sikorski told the Guardian.

Sikorski added that both China and India had warned Russia against using nuclear weapons.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and the West since the large-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Even though these threats have not come to fruition and Russia continues its all-out war without using its nuclear arsenal, both Russian rhetoric and nuclear exercises have increased in recent weeks.

Russia and Belarus began the second phase of their nuclear exercises with tactical weapons last month amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the West.

“The situation on the European continent is quite tense. It is provoked every day by new decisions and actions of anti-Russian European capitals and, above all, Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters.

In May, Russia said the exercises were a response to “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation.”

Faced with growing threats from China, Russia and other adversaries, the United States may need to expand its deployment of strategic nuclear weapons, a White House official said June 7.

Polish Foreign Minister: US will attack Russian troops in Ukraine if Russia uses nuclear weapons

“The Americans have told the Russians that if you detonate a nuclear bomb, we will attack and destroy all your targets (positions) in Ukraine with conventional weapons, even if no one is killed,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the Guardian.