Russia Drowning in a Nuclear War
The pace of developments on the Russian-Ukrainian front in Eastern Europe has intensified, with increasing indications of a potential nuclear confrontation between Russia and the West. This comes after a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, approving the country’s nuclear doctrine updates.[i] Putin’s decision came as a response to Biden’s administration and the United Kingdom authorizing Ukraine to use U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep within Russian territory. These measures are an escalation of the war in Ukraine at the end of Biden’s presidency, as per what ICGER published on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, in “Putin Ushers in a New Nuclear Age.”
U.S. Greenlights Strikes on Russian Soil
The Biden administration recently approved Ukraine’s use of U.S.-manufactured ATACMS long-range missiles against targets within Russian territory,[ii] alongside authorizing, for the first time, the provision of antipersonnel mines to Ukraine.[iii] On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainian forces had attacked a facility in Russia’s Bryansk region using six U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles.[iv] Additionally, Western sources reported on November 20 that Ukraine had fired British-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles to target Russian territory for the first time.[v]
In parallel with these developments, the United States and several Western nations announced the closure of their embassies in Kyiv on November 20, citing fears of a large-scale Russian offensive.
Russia Launches First Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The Ukrainian Air Force announced on November 21 that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Astrakhan region toward Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region—marking the first such use since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. While the statement did not specify the missile type, it is noteworthy that ICBMs are designed to carry nuclear warheads. Even if deployed without a nuclear payload, this action signals the potential prelude to the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and its allies. Media outlets also reported that Russian forces were preparing to launch an RS-26 ICBM toward Kyiv.
Dr. Youssef’s Scenario Unfolds
These unfolding events align with the analysis presented by Dr. Mohammad Walid Youssef in his November 20 article, “Putin Ushers in a New Nuclear Age,” where he asserted that “the liberal elites governing the United States and NATO are fully aware that President-elect Donald Trump and his neoconservative administration would likely halt the flow of U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine and push both sides—Russia and Ukraine—toward negotiations for a peace treaty that does not ensure a Russian defeat.”
Dr. Youssef added that “these elites would escalate the conflict in Ukraine during the remaining period of Biden’s presidency by supplying funds and weapons already approved by Congress but previously withheld to avoid provoking Moscow.”
He further noted that this elite strategy “would involve striking Russian deep into Russian territory, including Moscow and other cities, as well as targeting military and civilian infrastructure (such as energy facilities, airports, and other critical facilities), thereby provoking a nuclear response from Russia under its amended doctrine.”
Russia’s Response to Western Escalation
On November 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Washington is mobilizing funds to sustain the war in Ukraine through 2025, ahead of Trump’s assumption of office.[vi] This aligns precisely with Dr. Youssef’s analysis, in which he argued that “following the liberal elite’s loss in the November 5, 2024, U.S. elections to Donald Trump and the Republican right, these elites, in collaboration with NATO and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, would escalate the war into a nuclear conflict before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.”
[i] https://www.reuters.com/world/reaction-putins-approval-new-russian-nuclear-doctrine-2024-11-20/
[ii] https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/17/politics/biden-authorizes-ukraine-missiles-russian-targets/index.html
[iii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/11/19/biden-landmines-ukraine-russia/
[iv] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-strikes-russian-arsenal-bryansk-region-military-says-2024-11-19/
[v] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g704g051go
[vi] https://x.com/SkyNewsArabia_B/status/1859495181810045160