Putin Ally Insists 'Nuclear War Is Inevitable'

Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian propagandist and ally to President Vladimir Putin, insisted that "nuclear war is inevitable" on a recent episode of his television show.

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Putin fully launched in February 2022, there have been fears that the conflict could escalate to nuclear war. Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that while Moscow's nuclear war policy hasn't changed, the situation is fluid.

Meanwhile, Russia's military began nuclear-weapon drills on Tuesday in response to "provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation," according to the country's defense ministry.

"Nuclear war is inevitable either way. Let's compare whose strategic weapons are bigger!" Solovyov said on his television program, according to a clip translated into English and posted on the YouTube channel of Russian Media Monitor, a watchdog group created by journalist Julia Davis "in an effort to combat Russian propaganda," on Saturday.

Solovyov's comments were met with resistance from Andrey Sidorov, Deputy Dean of world politics at Moscow State University.

"We should just accept it. The only promise life keeps is that of death. A man wins when he stops fearing death," the show's host argued. "Listen, they keep challenging, us assuming we're weak. 'Why would you use the nukes? You can't do it!' They watch our program and say, 'See? That's right!' Why then did our parents and grandparents spend insane amounts of money on a nuclear shield?"

Sidorov later chimed in: "We shouldn't escalate like you are proposing." Solovyov then responded: "Oh, really? That is called weakness!"

Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form and Ukraine's foreign ministry via email for comment.

Russia's Nuclear Policy

When asked if Russia's nuclear doctrine would be updated to include the possibility of a preventive strike, Ryabkov told reporters on May 9: "The doctrine and basics of state policy in the area of nuclear deterrence explicitly state the possibilities for the first use of nuclear weapons."

He continued: "At the moment, nothing has changed in this regard, but the situation itself is changing. As a result, the way basic documents in this field relate to the needs of maintaining our security is constantly analyzed."

Putin said in March that, while Moscow is prepared for nuclear war, it is not his intention to use the weapons unless there is a threat to the "existence of the Russian state" or "damage to our sovereignty and independence."

Meanwhile, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 in exchange for its security and sovereignty under an agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum. Russia, Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the agreement.

In an April 2021 article from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—a military alliance that has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine—then-Director of Nuclear Policy Jessica Cox said, "In recent years, Russia has increased its reliance on nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, has threatened nuclear use against NATO Allies, and is developing a range of new types of nuclear weapons...to intimidate the Alliance," adding, "NATO does not want an arms race."

Article 5 of NATO's founding document states that "an armed attack against one or more" of its member nations "shall be considered an attack against them all."

Putin, however, said in December 2023 that Moscow has "no interest" in fighting NATO.

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