'Invading Ukraine was stupid, but he still did it': Putin's real nuclear threat | Defence in Depth

Vladimir Putin started his invasion in February last year thinking three things.
Firstly that his army was fantastic; secondly that the Ukrainian army was very weak; and thirdly that the international community was too self-absorbed, complacent and apathetic to intervene.
Well, his army is shown to be subpar; the Ukrainian army, though smaller, has not been broken; so it’s only in the third area - international support - that Putin believes he can now have an effect.
Putin is trying to chip away at international support for Ukraine, and the easiest way for him to do that is to raise the spectre of nuclear war.
However, we shouldn’t be scared of these threats.
#russia #ukraine #putin #nuclear
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#nuclearwar #belarus #ukrainewar #war #vladimirputin #lukashenko #china

[@telegraph]

Since the outbreak of war in February 2022, The Telegraph has been tracking donations and deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. Our correspondents have reported on their use on the battlefield and our experts have analysed their effectiveness. For a guide on these weapons, visit: www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ukraine-weapons-tanks-jets-missiles-military-equipment-war-russia/ This is not a comprehensive list of all weapons in Ukraine.

[@2nd3rd1st]

I don't like that word outbreak in this context, as if the war started on its own volition without any action and responsibility from Putin. It is correct and better to ascribe full responsibility to Putin for his war of aggression against Ukraine, always.

[@sirrobertdowneysenior8080]

2 things I would like to clear, i don't like to see neither woman's nipples nor man's nipples while watching news.

[@uppercutgrandma4425]

​@@2nd3rd1st wouldn't that outbreak go back further to the US installing leaders in Ukraine during the 2014 campaign, as well as aggressive NATO maneuvers?

[@davidbrown8536]

@@2nd3rd1st The 2014 Maiden coup was were it really starts. The US engineered a coup against a democratically elected govt

[@vertox78]

​@@uppercutgrandma4425 no.

[@eldars_steak]

we ignored stupidity, we ignored greed, we ignored those weaker than us, we ignored what was far from us, and then I woke up one morning and saw that everything we ignored was knocking on our door

[@theoilisburning7444]

How poetic and artistic,

[@discosheepish2868]

marriage.

[@upbestsalt1551]

Sounds like taxes

[@lovebutnosoilder]

Many young people saw this coming, but nobody choose to listen.

[@crocolagerfelden6142]

Exactly

[@ewu77]

2:42 I like that little hesitancy there. We all know, man.

[@stischer47]

Hitler thought he was acting rationally also.

[@mariannelabanane2589]

Americans do too. They want to weaken Russia.

[@zahgurim7838]

...zutreffend.

[@NoSuffix]

The Beijing dictatorship didn't call for nuclear de-escalation for the peace or justice of Ukrainians facing brutal Russia invasion, but out of the cold & hard reality that China will certainly not be spared if there's a total nuclear exchange between Russia and the West. Ironically, China's shameful role in supporting the Kremlin in the war contributes a lot to the prolonged war and possible further escalation.

[@namor2x2x]

no tbh i think china would just go against russia if russia launched a nuke

[@jinkazama9017]

USA and EU haphazardly shoveling billions into a non EU or NATO country also escalates and prolongs this war.

[@peabase]

My take is that China cynically favours a prolonged war. The weaker Russia becomes, the more dependent it is on China. The more dependent Russia is on China, the easier it is for China to exploit. Soon enough, Russia is China's jewel in the crown.

[@Ltstevefox]

"China's shameful role in supporting the Kremlin in the war contributes a lot to the prolonged war and possible further escalation." Last time I checked, China didn't steal billions of tax payers money to fund a war in another continent.

[@mitseraffej5812]

@@Stand663To add to the list of why China doesn’t want a nuclear escalation is that they are downwind of many potential targets.

[@theloki72]

Mutual assured destruction. There is nothing more to be said about these ridiculous threats.

[@jennifermoriarty2188]

Don't mean we will retaliate with nukes..other means

[@franciscouch8378]

Correct

[@theloki72]

@@geocam2 Such a side does not exist.

[@ronaldsantosjapan]

Has Russia's nuclear arsenal survived the deep, existentially dangerous, corruption in it's government and military? I imagine a lot of money meant for the upkeep of the Russian nuclear arsenal has ended up in yachts and houses somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.

[@KingDonaldFirstofhisname]

​@AdsRuinedKZbin I was more worried about the first 253 Nuclear threats he made tbh

[@jeanneknight4791]

I have wondered the same thing. I would say that there has been neglect on a huge scale.

[@brianfreeman8290]

I asked Jake Broe to comment on this but it seems he doesn't read his comments.

[@stevef7139]

@@brianfreeman8290 Jake Broe has commented on this in his videos. He suspects less than half Russia’s arsenal would work. Perhaps a lot less than half. We never want that to be tested though as some would work….

[@sunshadow9704]

What if it did?

[@wasakawakawaka2028]

Very good Dom! Thanks for this video. Makes me feel a bit better.

[@therealme228]

Thanks Dom, straight to the point and very informative again

[@Wargasm54]

I’m pretty sure I’d pick the 100 chicken sized horses 😂

[@Maja-Danmark]

I'd rather it'd be over quickly *:*

[@ChristianTonnies]

defo

[@ibh2022]

Excellent words as always Dom

[@pavelhromadka658]

Simple, straightforward and overall wonderful presentation!

[@Mark-ww9sb]

Good to see the Telegraph has found someone to speak knowledgeably and with understand about this subject.

[@daveousley1201]

Nice work, Dom!

[@adammitchell3462]

I'm just a few minutes into this and I really like your content,I think I'll go ahead and subscribe

[@tubirrr4569]

Simple, very clear message, reasonable points 👍

[@FearandBoredomFishing]

Note at the beginning of the war putins threat of nuclear was very much directed at the West. Later on it was directed at Ukraine. No one has picked up on this very important point. It does indicate this is a threat and two it shows where his biggest fear lies. The US has also indicated clearly its stance on this issue. Simply put, Putin loses this was war he stands to loose Crimea and some bits of land. He fires a nuclear weapon he will lose Russia.

[@Ilaunchnukes]

So Putin is saying "If I can't have it, nobody can"?

[@hungusthefungus3461]

@@Ilaunchnukes Pootin's Mad Dog Logic!

[@nixcutus]

Well if he threaten the west he should also be prepared to get hit Back, funny how he sends threat and Acts like th west doesn't have Nuclear weapons 🤣🤣🤣

[@-46xx-94]

@@nixcutus Путин никогда не угрожал никому ядерным оружием. Если у тебя есть доказательства обратного кинь ссылку на это видео, где он это говорит

[@turboturtle9083]

If the nuclear arsenal was maintained over the last 30 years like the rest of their war machine I believe if in fact he is moving nukes away from Russia proper because there is a good chance they could detonate on launch.

[@doltsbane]

I'd be interested to see some reporting on how much the Russians have budgeted for maintenance of their nuclear arsenal over the last ten years and an estimate of how much of that funding ended up disappearing into someone's pocket.

[@rangersrule6332]

Very good points, I cannot believe maintenance was a priority for these devastating weapons, after what we have seen over the last 13 months.

[@briancarno8837]

what the same as much of the funding to Ukraine has disapeared into someones pocket..?

[@oneshothunter9877]

I've read that USA spends around 50 billion dollars on maintaining their nukes. Russian military -"for the whole thing" seems to be around 70 billion dollars (equivalent). And it's no secret that Russia has more nukes than the US. That doesn't leave a lot of money spent on Russian nukes. Edit: But as powerful as nuclear weapons are, what's really needed to destroy life as we know it?

[@bruceogilvie5607]

If it's like any other part of their defence spending...most of it will have been stolen

[@peabase]

@@briancarno8837 Ukraine has launched three successful counter-offensives and is currently holding its own, no matter what the Russians are throwing against them. I should think Western aid has found its way into the right hands, or none of that would be possible.

[@kite7214]

Excellent analysis Dom. Thanks a lot. K

[@tostgulen]

Love these in depth resorts. Whats the background music used in the end? 10:56

[@gavincassidy3276]

Listen to these guys on Ukraine podcast everyday - class and Dom knows his stuff !

[@GuinessOriginal]

He knows what narrative to push, that’s for sure. Not much in the way of nuance and balance, but there never is in the media these days, especially not around subjects like Ukraine or covid.

[@dankmatter3068]

“Belarus is an independent sovereign state” yeah no

[@NoName-ok6qz]

Haha, I love how he gains glasses mid-sentence at 7:18

[@naxar4246]

An excellent reporter! Thx

[@trevermcdonald2402]

The Russian foreign minister boasted that Russia can totally destroy Britain one hundred times over. A British Admiral when interviewed said yes, they can, then added, and we can only totally destroy them once.

[@jenshaunsouthard9172]

God Bless Ukraine 🇺🇦 🇺🇸

[@vincesnetterton5868]

GOD? clearly war is gods will, or there is no god. the later is obvious

[@W.Khairi]

Very informative and well presented, Thank u very much.

[@davidcraig6870]

My man, talks straight info

[@marinaclarasanchezsuarez2905]

Fear nothing, only Fear itself⭐

[@vincesnetterton5868]

fear morons with nukes

[@Symmetry77]

Fascist little pootin played all his cards. All hes got left is the nuclear bluff

[@blackcatdungeonmastersfami5311]

The West keeps escalating. Putin's trying to tell us to back off. We can either laugh at him or take him seriously but remember the logic conclusion of escalation is nuclear war.

[@keith8609]

@@blackcatdungeonmastersfami5311 Putin illegally invaded Ukraine he is the one who should back off if he never invaded we would not be having this problem

[@AAB463]

And an American reporter

[@Symmetry77]

@@AAB463 Not much then

[@kamaramartha6142]

@@AAB463 😂

[@mitchwhite1859]

That was good. I learned a lot.

[@billsanchez6035]

100 chicken sized horses, absolutely

[@taralown7023]

This was great as always Dom, thanks. I'd be interested to see polling on wheter people are scared of the nuclear threats or not. Personally I have zero and have never had any concern over nuclear weapon use by Russia. It would be a different story in my mind if they were the only country with nuclear weapons - but they're not. So ya polling would be interesting

[@therealme228]

I think Putin is an idiot not stupid, it is just words.

[@veramae4098]

NATO did a field exercise about a decade ago, giving field commanders the power to call in nuclear strikes. They were appalled at how quickly commanders used the option. Decision was made to NEVER give field commanders this option in reality.

[@qanon_qanon]

Having worked on Britains nuclearr deterrent and other things far, far worse, any country that struck the UK would get a response that would end their civilisation and not just theirs, their "friends" also. The firing of UK nuclear weapons is not just at the one country who strikes but at multiple ones worlwide to eradicate their mentality. That is why it is the last resort or "clean up" in the jargon.

[@kriswiwatowski4697]

Very good analysis with rational sober conclusions. Many thanks!

[@CountCristianWaters]

Because he's white?

[@dellwright1407]

@@CountCristianWaters Chip on shoulder 😂

[@CountCristianWaters]

@@dellwright1407 Check my DNA 🧬, peasant.

[@kevincody8391]

or so We Hope, cross our fingers and pray. Someday somebody is going to be pushed to the edge and react. There's too many wild cards out there, North Korea, Iran and Israel, Pakistan etc.

[@GuinessOriginal]

He’s been wrong many times in the past, particularly about Putin and the outcomes of diplomatic difficulties. Let’s hope he’s not wrong again.

[@Svoboda1234]

6:00 Thanks for telling us what to think!

[@snazzysailor]

That was a great listen

[@JohnMcPhersonStrutt]

Every time I see footage of Vladimir Putin in a Christian Church, holding a candle, I think of the song "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan. Putin needs to listen to those song lyrics, and take note.

[@Flornmonk]

"GRANDMA is the last thing we need to worry about" 0:22 lol

[@iNowHateAtSigns]

Very well written and narrated!

[@monsieurgrigny]

great discussion

[@jameslyddall]

If anyone wants a very good in depth but good video on nuclear weapons and what are tactical weapons Ryan Mcbeth “nuclear weapons” search would be a good one.

[@GuinessOriginal]

Yeah, this video definitely isn’t it

[@duncanbirnie4158]

The best 👍

[@petebarnesTaiChi]

i like your coverage, brief and precise.

[@danzielinski5036]

great posting

[@discosheepish2868]

so this time is the time for his real nuclear threats.... i was begining to believe he didnt mean any of it.

[@alumni2a692]

From a Frenchman living in China and watching this video: 👍🏻

[@Cotictimmy]

I’ve always got time to listen to Dom Nicholls’ analysis of things.

[@throstleonabush9639]

Really good informative video please do more

[@jiggyv6139]

I’m scared asl 🤣 not tryna be vaporized man . Already been a rough year

[@timmer9lives]

Excellent break down of Putin’s Nuclear saber rattling. Personally, I just fall back to MAD. Mutually assured destruction worked during the Cold War and it works now.

[@jennifermoriarty2188]

The response don't need to be a nuke as well.. plenty of other things to do

[@martynanstis1620]

@@jennifermoriarty2188indeed. Some analysis said that any nuclear attack on Crimea would effectively be an attack on Europe and NATO and the response would be swift and non nuclear taking out every Russian vessel and all airfields being occupied by Russians in Ukraine including Crimea..

[@GuinessOriginal]

Except it didn’t work. We only avoided mad due to sheer luck and at least two intensive negotiations by politicians on both sides who trusted each other and kept their word. We don’t have the latter on either side right now, and the former always runs out sooner or later.

[@AKATakisOfficial]

By no means was it stupid, propaganda at it's finest

[@Ragtags]

Interesting video. Thanks

[@Interglacial_optimist]

Cincinnati Reds baseball team just got two F-16 fighters to fly over the stadium... I wonder if Zelinsky was throwing out the first pitch.

[@b.rocket]

This guy really does a fantastic job. Big fan. 🇺🇸

[@sukhmaidickoff]

Great video - thumbs up 👍👍

[@baldersn4474]

Really good video..

[@sundog6820]

we're not scared but it does make us think about a preemptive surprise attack against them when russia talks s#1t

[@neilbadger4262]

If Mr Putin really is as God fearing as he may portray himself to be, I am somewhat sceptical if on the day of his demise and he turns up at the pearly gates, that St Peter would be standing there ready to congratulate the Russian leader on his deployment of nuclear weapons on the world. I would somewhat hope that St Peter would simply point to the hole leading down, with a fiery glow at the bottom.

[@javierpatag3609]

People like Putin always think they’re going to the Good Place, never the Bad. They never see themselves as the bad guy no matter how terrible the things they did.

[@jenpsakiscousin4589]

Clearly the deployment of strategic weapons in Belarus is a counter to possible use of force from Poland.

[@danielunnamed9438]

Do the telegraph has telegram channel? Would definitely subscribe it!

[@larrypopwell8034]

Did it throw anyone else off that he’s not wearing glasses in some shots but it some he is?

[@mrhpijl]

I was looking for your comment

[@runswithcows]

Hopefully the strategic and tactical warheads are full of cardboard like the reactive armour on the museum grade tanks. Chances are someone has pocketed the budget and bought a flat or two in Knightsbridge.

[@suburbia2050]

The latter was probably far more damaging to the West than any nuclear threat

[@charlesburgoyne-probyn6044]

Re: Flat in Knightsbridge perhaps at risk of being seized over sanctions many of those who bought property in western countries was a hedge against falling out of favour in the event of government change or a economic collapse in Russia. The fact that we are now in an escalating proxy war with Russia and thus their assets being at risk seizure i rather doubt was part of their cauculations

[@ratbatnufftime2861]

The Ukranian military is not small...............but it is smallER than the Russian military.

[@ChristianTonnies]

Good insite there , top man Dom .

[@ianwilliamson7703]

We found this really interesting and informative, albeit, there is still the possible danger, that Putin would launch nuclear weapons, regardless of the outcome, just to prove a point. This makes him a very dangerous person to deal with.

[@JayneWilliams-mo1hk]

If we’re all dead as a result, he’s got no one to listen to him gloating and complaining etc

[@thomashassall96]

I think he'd get mainlined with polonium 210 by his inner circle first...

[@roberta9833]

Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@TheBezaleel]

Glory to Ukraine !!!

[@TanTannaRen]

Excellent

[@idlehour]

Time to see if M.A.D. works as a theory.

[@grahamfisher5436]

continues.. to work

[@Strafuzz]

Yay

[@stephensuddick1896]

Putin's loose talk regarding nuclear weapons is a sure sign of abject weakness.

[@roshandinesh6701]

How?

[@thomaszanzal7846]

Madness , the whole thing is madness.

[@bibbly1234]

7:00 shows how ridiculous it is that the West are complaining about Russia stationing nukes in their allies territories. How many nations have the US used to station nukes in? Double standards from NATO

[@farmcat9873]

If Belrus moved these into their country it just makes a BIG fat target on their country and just would be a real stupid idea for that country to allow.

[@stophate2023]

Putler can only make threats. He has lost everything. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@slashingbison2503]

Dom is so interesting to listen to.

[@robert3987]

An excellent video.

[@dalidaz72]

Putin doesn't scare me🥱. I grew up in cold war era at its scariest 😱 Nukes were mentioned every other day. After watching a movie called 🥺THREADS😱I that's when the terror sunk in 😂😂😂😂

[@mroctober3657]

Yes, Threads really seeped into the marrow.

[@chiefrocka8604]

@@mroctober3657 more info on this film please as all I get is ladies sewing

[@mroctober3657]

@@chiefrocka8604 Just enter Threads 1984 into the youtube search. It would probably seem quite pedestrian these days but at the time it was very effective... and depressing. Filmed in a documentary style. A kind of UK counter-part film to The Day After - an American movie about nuclear war released around the same time.

[@charlesburgoyne-probyn6044]

@@mroctober3657 apparently ☢ gets into the marrow too 😐

[@wally2louis288]

😂

[@user-su7ls3ph7y]

To date, only one country has used nuclear weapons against civilians. And it wasn't Russia.

[@Sorrycomrade]

The number of deaths caused by Russia in the Ukraine war has likely already surpassed the deaths of Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined. Your argument is invalid.

[@__-op4qm]

@@Sorrycomrade now count the number of civilian deaths in eastern Ukraine between 2014 (maidan) and 2021.

[@gregorygaskill5412]

Special facility means a secure spot to keep soldiers from stealing and scrapping whatever they can.

[@RabianOfficial]

11:35 feels like a scene from a movie

[@mynameisnobody3931]

Basically to sum it up, there's a minuscule risk that he will use them, and that they will even work. But if course we must not come into the sleeping mindset that there is no risk that he will do it. But it doesn't matter really because we must not stop supporting Ukraine

[@natd8215]

armisend more weapons and spend more money!! All the same, they end up on the black market in other countries.

[@zok8115]

“We in the west don’t like to talk about it - we actually did it 1945”. What a hypocrisy.

[@vincesnetterton5868]

yes, in reply to an attack. ukraine did nothing

[@A.ikiadis1264]

Nice to know

[@davern6]

The Eddie Howe of military analysis

[@user-li8qh4tv9t]

It's simple, Putin didn't think any of the above. It literally thought that Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO is an existential threat.

[@prohojiy]

That's not the case. In reality Ukraine joining NATO means closing the window of opportunities to annex Ukraine. Otherwise he would have been opposing Finland and Sweden joining NATO as well

[@thevenetianmask1427]

0:18 is that GOTZILLA 1998 ?

[@adisonshrestha8942]

Good journalism 👌

[@GuinessOriginal]

It really isn’t. It’s very one sided.

[@lani6647]

“We in the west don’t talk about using nuclear weapons because our moral compass is in the right place”. Also, the only country to ever have used nuclear weapons on human being: the US.

[@cgjwitwe]

The dwarf Putler needs some more kneepad time with XI otherwise it is game over

[@NANDOFFDataRecovery]

Thanks.. That's me not sleeping tonight. Again

[@ashleyeldorado7750]

How does anyone know they would actually work?

[@RInho-ox8sw]

Never seen as much ignorance and propaganda - this guy is clueless reader of "facts" in the media and knows nothing about the true workings of geopolitics. There is a power shift happening, and its actually for the greater of humanity.

[@vinman3057]

Give me 10 min with this bald wally

[@paweturysta8617]

Here we go again...

[@benjaminanderson6709]

9:12 lol Stellaris music?

[@doonewatts7155]

Putin's statements rarely make any sense to the west. But those comments aren't for the west at all but for the russian people and they make sense viewed through this lens

[@barneyp.harrington5963]

Liar, liar, pants on fire. Let it be: Afghanistan or Cuba, or Iraq, or Syria...Vietnam or Korea..the US is history's greatest liar! Well, Russia WILL keep the occupied territories. After all, these territories are inhabited to a large extent by people of Russian origin. Linguistically, even more so. And besides, who should drive the Russians out of the Donbass? Or even from the heavily fortified Crimean peninsula? The Ukrainian army? With losses of up to 180,000 men within a year. The numbers speak, albeit sadly, clearly in Russia's favour. The sooner the West understands this, the better. In my opinion, this is the reality. Even 18 freshly delivered German Leopard tanks will not change this scenario. The US will certainly soon realise that further support for Ukraine (in the long run) is not very sensible and will only prolong the unfortunately.America will turn its attention to other issues, such as the banking crisis or the ailing US economy. Like a toddler who has lost interest in a toy. History knows the truth all too well. Победа России! 🇷🇺 ☝️👌

[@julianfarquhar]

This guy is brilliant, informative and humourous.

[@papasha408]

Invading Ukraine was essential for Russian security against an ever-encroaching American/NATO juggernaut.

[@charlesburgoyne-probyn6044]

It is Ukraine that is being ravaged whilst chattering classes far from the destruction cheer them on

[@rudolphsteinhammer5857]

Bs

[@keysersoze377]

Then Why Russia did not invade Nato country or USA?

[@Friendo111]

I have my popcorn (uncooked) ready. Dinner and a show!