Which is why they are mining chernobyl…the uranium is now weaponized duecto the melt down
1 Like
U-235 is used for both nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors, so it always was ‘weaponized’, but even depleted uranium can be used in munitions to leave a more resounding impact. Still, all’s fair in love and war.
1 Like
You said it yourself, the idea is that Russia will be stuck in a quagmire and run itself out of resources. The Biden administration welcomed them in and now they are saying Russia can use chemical weapons and the US will do nothing. I guess to make a Russia a pariah state forever.
Or the Biden admin is composed of a bunch of desperate, panicking amateurs that have no idea what they are doing. Trying to bully China, India and Saudi Arabia with no leverage, and just virtue signaling at Russia.
Yeah option two seems depressingly likely.
1 Like
He sounds like a talking head on a cable news channel, not the leader of a global superpower. It’s more of a running commentary, emphasizing one’s impotence. What is the purpose of making such a statement, if no potential response is given?
If he “had nothing to lose”, he wouldn’t be having a 500 million yacht and he wouldn’t wear a 14k winter jacket. He’s willing to lose the lives of ordinary Russians and Central Asian press ganged constricts but he wants to stay alive as long as possible. Just look at his covid precautions.
This reasoning convinced Putin to invade. “The Americans are tacitly accepting that I’ll invade Ukraine - they’ve evacuated the embassy out of the country. They’re banking on Russia getting exhausted fighting an insurgency but have no idea that I’m about to kill everyone Stalin-style”
The sick dark calculus, in this case, would be- is saving a million innocent lives through direct military intervention worth the risk of nuclear war?
It’s terrifying that escalation can result in nuclear war 15 mins later, as opposed to conventional conflicts where we have days and weeks to deescalate if things go too far.
Putin is now demanding Europe pays for Russian gas in rubles only. I guess we’ll be seeing some coal power plants getting restarted soon…
Russia and the weaponization of the nuclear war threat below:
https://t.co/tabcN0dI5g” / TwitterIf the million lives is lost over a long enough period, I fear it won’t matter. We will get desensitized to reports of Ukrainian deaths the same way we are desensitized to it in other parts of the world where we are “used to it.”
It is abundantly clear that Europeans are not willing to risk direct confrontation with Russia. We “have a responsibility” to see to it that the war doesn’t extend beyond Ukraine. I’m convinced they would swallow just about any atrocity as long as it doesn’t happen on NATO soil. And even then I get the feeling it kinda depends on which NATO country was attacked.
I agree with the premise when conventional war is on the table. But not when nuclear war is. Hundreds of millions can die before a day is done. Consequences are too great to escalate unnecessarily, an I do not believe putins pride and age will let him deescalate if we match his agression.
NATO is the redline. Well established and clear to all. Until then, it is a proxy war with great tragedy.
No, it’s the other way around.
If we let one man’s pride hold the entire planet hostage, we might as well all hold hands and walk into the ocean.
Disband NATO then and form an alliance of non-nuclear powers which can go into Ukraine and conduct conventional warfare, No existential threat for Russia in that.
Speaking of that…are we getting ready to send the military to help Russia deal with Ukraine or something? Is our very own Uncle(Grandpa?) Joe calling Putin Uncle Vlad?
This largely relies on the hope that the humans pushing the buttons/giving orders are altruistic, or at the least not jingoistic, brainwashed, prideful humans. We have gotten lucky in the past. I don’t want to rely on luck when nuclear war is on the table.
When/if NATO gets attacked, the gloves need to come off, and the risk of escalation to nuclear war is acceptable IMO.
True, but the same can be said for all the former soviet states. Belarus and Kazakhstan still have nukes. Im aware that they function as russian puppets to a degree but the point holds. Soviet nukes overnight became either the property of the new independent nation the resided in or nobodys nukes.
1 Like
I just happen to live right outside of the 7 mile blast radius if a typical nuke were sent for Pitrsburgh, in the vicinity of a couple of cold war era energy research labs and whatnot.
How about you?
Just something to consider.
To be fair, I don’t think Pittsburg would be considered a top 10 target should nukes be launched 
1 Like
You’d be wrong though.
It may have changed some with the decentralization of the steel industry, but there are plenty of reasons for a nuclear strike on the Burgh.
2 Likes
Incoming flame:
This statement could stand with, or without the pretext of Russia being the launcher of said nukes lol
1 Like
The Steelers performance for the last couple of years alone would be enough.
1 Like
Seattle area has a robust aerospace defense industry, and the west coasts main sub base, amongst other high priority targets. We are a high (probably top 3) priority target as well. I am under no illusions I would be severely affected with the first volley.
I am not suggesting a first strike. “Gloves come off” means direct involvement (with NATO) in a conventional war campaign against Russia. Any nuclear strikes should always be retaliatory, and avoided.