Ex-commander-in-chief of NATO in Europe said about the risk of a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine

The Kremlin can launch a nuclear strike on Ukraine if the Ukrainian army returns Kherson and starts attacking Crimea, thinks former Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges.

“Soon, after passing through Kherson, the Ukrainians will be able to attack most/all of Crimea, hitting all Russian air bases and logistics bases there and making Sevastopol unusable by the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Then this (nuclear strike – MT) is just a matter of time.” wrote on Twitter Hodges.

However, according to him, the use of nuclear weapons will not give any real advantage on the battlefield. The United States, in turn, will not be able to stand aside. Washington will react to a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine “because China, North Korea and Iran are watching,” Hodges explained.

“The answer will not necessarily be nuclear,” stressed the ex-commander-in-chief of NATO in Europe. According to him, the US has many options and the Kremlin knows this. “I don’t think Putin or his closest advisers are suicidal,” concluded general.

Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in two directions: on August 29 in the south and on August 5 in the northeast. The Armed Forces of Ukraine achieved the greatest success in the Kharkiv region, liberating about 3,000 square kilometers of territory in a week. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, the Ukrainian forces’ offensive was a “snowball rolling downhill” and inflicted Russia’s worst defeat since the February 24 invasion.

Russia responded to the defeat in the Kharkiv region with missile strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Interruptions with electricity began in the Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions. Ukrainian railways report train delays due to power outages.

“Even through the impenetrable darkness, Ukraine and the civilized world clearly see these terrorist acts. Deliberate and cynical missile strikes on civilian critical infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Russia’s actions. He promised that Ukraine would be with gas, electricity, water and food, but without Russia.