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submitted 1 month ago by breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca to c/world@lemmy.world

Western leaders should not be intimidated by Kremlin threats of nuclear escalation, the head of the CIA said on Saturday, and be willing to consider allowing Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles to be used inside Russia.

Bill Burns, on a visit to London alongside the head of MI6, said the US had brushed off a previous Russian nuclear scare in autumn 2022, demonstrating that threats from Moscow should not always be taken literally.

“Putin’s a bully. He’s going to continue to sabre rattle from time to time,” Burns said. “We cannot afford to be intimidated by that sabre rattling … we got to be mindful of it. The US has provided enormous support for Ukraine, and I’m sure the president will consider other ways in which we can support them.”

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[-] NegativeLookBehind@lemmy.world 92 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I’m not worried about being nuked, necessarily. I’m more worried about our nukes becoming their nukes, by way of installing one particular treasonous orange asshole as president. Again.

[-] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 43 points 1 month ago

That fat orange fuck is going to have the US on a clearance sale.

[-] ravhall@discuss.online 37 points 1 month ago

I’m more worried about their misinformation and meddling.

[-] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Putler is [most likely] a sociopath. He's has no morals but he's not clinically insane. The only thing using nukes would guarantee for him is his own death, which he must certainly be aware of.

...if Russia even has any functioning nukes.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Putin also has grandchildren. I imagine he cares about a legacy. People like him usually do.

[-] gigachad@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago

Putin is a gangster leading a mafia state.

[-] IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Gas station was more appropriate 😁

[-] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

I agree with your first paragraph 100%.

Re: your second, we know Russia has functioning nukes because, at least until a year and a half ago, we used to go and inspect them on a regular basis.

[-] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago

The inspections did not test nav, propulsion or detonation functionality. The inspections only confirmed existence.

Russia's weapons have been maintained by notorious black market scalpers for decades now. Nearly every gram of fuel, every PCB and every detonation component on the black market in the last 50 years has been from Russian equipment. The world's intelligence community has noticed and done a little math on the subject.

Coupled with the West's advanced defense systems, Russia poses almost no real nuclear threat to any ally at this point. Their delivery systems would be more effective if they were DHL deliveries.

[-] occhionaut@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Take the recent Chinese intelligence scandals coming out about their nukes having water in the fuel tanks and silo caps that cant retract. I believe wholeheartedly that corruption has stolen most of the nails from the thermonuclear hands in both Russia and China. Probably even NK too, to some extent.

Well sure, for land-based static and mobile systems, but it’s an open secret that the only division of the Russian military that has halfway-decent funding on a consistent basis since the fall of the USSR is their SSBN fleet.

I’m not saying that meaningfully changes the calculus imo, but if any of their shit is going to work, it’s probably going to be the boomers (subs, not the generation)

[-] Deceptichum@quokk.au 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Somehow the threat of nuclear war, billions of deaths and the collapse of society, alongside a climate changing nuclear winter just isn’t that concerning when I already know climate change is going to do as much damage already.

this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2024
185 points (95.6% liked)

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