Muratov Warns Putin Could Turn to Nuclear Arms After 500 Mentions, Says Ukraine Victory Is Impossible
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 13
Muratov Warns Putin Could Turn to Nuclear Arms After 500 Mentions, Says Ukraine Victory Is Impossible
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 13
Summary
More than 500 mentions of using nuclear weapons on Russian state TV and at state-run events this year led Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov to warn that escalation in Ukraine could reach the nuclear level.
Muratov said Putin can destroy Ukraine but not conquer it, arguing Russia cannot claim victory after nearly five years of war that he says has torn apart more than 1 million people.
At least 1,500 people are now jailed in Russia for opposing state policy since the 2022 invasion, Muratov said, describing a crackdown that shut Novaya Gazeta's print operation and blocked its website.
He pointed to jailed journalists, councillor Alexei Gorinov and pianist Pavel Kushnir, who died in pre-trial detention at 39, as evidence of the risks facing anti-war critics.
Despite slipping approval ratings, Muratov said Putin still firmly controls Russia through fear and FSB backing, while public support for dissent survives mostly in whispers.
As Russia's internal strains grow, could Putin's escalating nuclear threats be a desperate bluff, or a chilling preview of the war's final act?
With exiled dissidents facing 'civic death' and prisons overflowing, how far beyond its borders will the Kremlin's ruthless crackdown ultimately reach?