As a former KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, Putin using Russia’s 6,257 nuclear warheads, 1,456 of which are currently deployed, to force the world to kowtow to his desire for expansion and a return to a pre-1991 Soviet Empire might come as little surprise to military analysts. But he is not the only one alluding to the possibility of nuclear war breaking out.
When seasoned diplomatic veterans like the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov talk about the risk of nuclear war, an extra layer of credibility is added to the threat. Lavrov, who served as the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004 before taking his current position, insists that they are doing their utmost to prevent any kind of nuclear engagement. Yet, those cards remain firmly placed on the table.
