Richard White
Senior Member
I wonder what would happen if Russian nuclear technology fell into the hands of Ukrainian troops.
I wonder what would happen if Russian nuclear technology fell into the hands of Ukrainian troops.
How exactly would that happen?
I'm not exactly sure how that could happen. The devices are dispatched far from the front. But in the eventuality that this happens, the weapons are equipped with Permissive Action Links which make arming them by unauthorized users near impossible. This is why when Ukraine had Soviet nuclear weapons after independence, they couldn't operationalize them. The worst the Ukrainians could do is use it as radiological weapon (dirty bomb). That would cause them substantial loss of Western support. So not likely.Putin does something stupid and the Ukrainians manage to get ahold of a device.
Putin is an idiot. I cannot even begin to comprehend a situation where this is possible. You don't deploy nuclear warheads to the front.Putin does something stupid and the Ukrainians manage to get ahold of a device.
This is all hypothetical of course.
Assuming Putin is mad enough to believe the US would not destroy him, or does not care, the ideal targets for nuclear strikes would be those beyond the territories where the Russians have to fight. Lviv seems a good target, since it would disrupt NATO shipments from Poland, and any fallout would first be filtered by Belarusian and Ukrainian lungs before it got to Russia.Putin is an idiot. I cannot even begin to comprehend a situation where this is possible. You don't deploy nuclear warheads to the front.
Lviv would be a strategic target, as would Kyiv. The frontlines would not be good targets for a multitude of reasons including that Russia could not navigate a nuclear battlefield with their current equipment. Other strategic locations, military bases, logistics hubs etc. would also be prime targets. One big bomb to essentially knock out targets that are substantially helping Ukraine supply their troops and sites that could not otherwise be easily destroyed.Assuming Putin is mad enough to believe the US would not destroy him, or does not care, the ideal targets for nuclear strikes would be those beyond the territories where the Russians have to fight. Lviv seems a good target, since it would disrupt NATO shipments from Poland, and any fallout would first be filtered by Belarusian and Ukrainian lungs before it got to Russia.
This would almost surely provoke NATO Article 5 and a solid escalation of the Alliance’s involvement. But if you didn’t GAF about tomorrow, Lviv is a good target for a tactical nuke.
Apparently the times reported that NATO is warning Russia is set to hold a nuclear test on the Ukrainian border. Will be interesting to see if it happens.I'm not worried about a large attack. He may well get a coup for even suggesting nukes. Almost guaranteed if he suggests a large attack on a NATO city.
Apparently the times reported that NATO is warning Russia is set to hold a nuclear test on the Ukrainian border. Will be interesting to see if it happens.