Russia Considers Escalating Ukraine War, Discussing Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Bloomberg

Russia is reportedly contemplating a new phase of escalation in the Ukraine war, with sources close to the Kremlin suggesting that prospects for a peace agreement have significantly diminished. The leadership in Moscow believes current negotiation formulas are no longer yielding results, and President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to alter his stance due to Western sanctions or Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure.

According to Bloomberg, which cited sources consulted by Mediafax, Moscow is analyzing the possibility of more powerful conventional ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, including central areas, as well as infrastructure targets in other Ukrainian cities. These sources also indicate that Russia perceives the military and informational support provided to Ukraine by NATO countries as transforming Kyiv's attacks into an indirect confrontation with the North Atlantic Alliance.

Putin himself issued a warning over the weekend, stating in a state television interview that Ukraine had "opened this Pandora's box" and that a response would follow in sensitive areas of the Ukrainian economy. Despite diplomatic efforts by the United States, no decisive progress has been made, leading Moscow to see few alternatives to intensifying military operations to achieve its objectives, the report states.

Furthermore, Bloomberg reports that discussions within Russian power circles are increasingly including the possibility of resorting to tactical nuclear weapons as an extreme solution, given the prolonged conflict. However, the sources emphasized that there are currently no indications that Russia is preparing to use such weapons in Ukraine. Major partners of Moscow, including China and India, have repeatedly warned against the use of nuclear weapons, a sentiment likely to be echoed at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

“

Ukraine has opened this Pandora's box.