In comparison, the Hiroshima bomb was about 15 kilotons.) Russia has about 4,500 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. (For example, the U.S.’s newest version of its B61 nuclear bomb can release 0.3, 1.5, 10 or 50 kilotons of explosive energy. Most nuclear weapons today are variable-yield, or “dial-a-yield,” providing a set amount of explosive energy that can range from fractions of a kiloton to multiples of a megaton. In the world of nuclear weapons, tactical means an exceedingly large amount of explosive energy and strategic means even larger. In the current crisis, Putin clearly wants the US and NATO to know that if the West were to intervene with military force on behalf of Ukraine, he might reach for his so-called tactical (or “nonstrategic”) nuclear weapons. Putin likes to wave about his nuclear weapons as a reminder to the West (and perhaps to himself) that Russia is still a great power. In 2015, Russia threatened Danish warships with nuclear weapons if Denmark joined NATO’s missile defense system. He also did so in 2014 during Russia’s invasion of Crimea, when Russian leaders talked openly about putting nuclear weapons on alert. This is not the first time Putin has rattled the nuclear saber. They continue to worry about the (remote) possibility of a Russian conventional attack beyond Ukraine. On balance, NATO states do not seem very reassured by their vaunted nuclear deterrence. Thus, the nuclear balance of terror likely deters a wider European war but leaves Ukraine to struggle on with only limited support and perhaps eventually to be swallowed.
On the other side of the ledger, NATO’s nuclear weapons presumably deter Russia from expanding the war to NATO countries, such as Poland, Romania or the Baltic states. In practice this would mean shooting down Russian planes. for the creation of a “no-fly zone” over some or all of Ukraine, the Biden administration has wisely resisted. Russia’s nuclear weapons deter the West from intervening with conventional military forces to defend Ukraine. Most obvious is that Putin is using nuclear deterrence not to protect Russia but rather to have his way in Ukraine. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casts a harsh light on its downsides. This concept is widely credited for helping prevent war between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It also exposes the limits of the West’s reliance on nuclear deterrence.ĭeterrence refers to the idea that possessing nuclear weapons protects a nation from attack, through the threat of overwhelming retaliation. The blatant aggression against Ukraine has shocked Europe and the world. The suspect, who was wearing body armor when he was arrested, had the four handguns in his clothing while the rifle and shotgun were being carried inside a bag, the report says.Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin has given orders to increase the alert level of Russia’s nuclear forces and has made veiled nuclear threats. All of the weapons were loaded and the rifle, shotgun and three 9 mm pistols all had a round in the chamber, according to the police report. Marley was detained without incident, the report says.Īfter arresting Marley, police recovered six firearms: a DPMS AR-15-style rifle, a 12-gauge Maverick Arms Modell 88 shotgun, three semi-automatic 9 mm pistols and a. “The accused appeared to be surprised when he saw us that close to him,” the officer wrote. The officer ordered the suspect to put his hands up and not move, the incident report says. The officer wrote that he donned a ballistic helmet and took his city-issued rifle into the store, where he immediately saw the suspect coming around the corner from the restroom, just feet away. “He also told me that he saw an AR-15 style rifle leaned against the wall.”īy the time the officer arrived at Atlantic Station – a commercial and residential complex in Atlanta just north of downtown – the supermarket appeared to have been evacuated, the report says. “It sounded to him like someone was loading firearms,” an Atlanta officer wrote. “And I was like, you know, this kind of startled me just again with events that recently happened in the grocery store up in Colorado.”Īuthorities have not said what they believed Marley intended to do with the weapons.Īccording to the police incident report, Russell was entering the men’s restroom when he “heard clicking sounds from the bathroom stall.” Atlanta police detain man with six guns, body armor in grocery store
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