The former head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos has said the only chance his country has of stopping Ukraine’s counteroffensive is to use “tactical nuclear weapons.”
Speaking from near the front line in the Zaporizhzhya region, Dmitry Rogozin warned of the extremely serious threat that the anticipated Ukrainian counterattack poses to Russian forces and called for it to be stopped by the most extreme of measures in a Telegram video posted on May 4.
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He said the Ukrainian armed forces now have sufficient equipment and manpower in place to initiate its counteroffensive within a few days.
"We expect an attack by HIMARS and drones, followed by heavy equipment. Our task is to dig into a prepared stronghold, to withstand the first missile strikes, minimize casualties and then meet their tanks with anti-tank guided missiles," Rogozin said.
In his view if the Ukrainian counteroffensive is to be disrupted then there is no other option than " … to use tactical nuclear weapons with understandable consequences.”
He added: “There is no other option. Based on military doctrine, the Russian army must use tactical nuclear weapons.”
Rogozin, who was also a former Russian ambassador to NATO, called nuclear weapons "the great equalizer" and said that fighters on the front line are preparing and waiting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to begin a decisive battle. "We understand that it will be hard, but no one is going to leave their positions," he said.
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Earlier, Rogozin reported that "the enemy [Ukrainian army] is preparing to advance" on the territory of the Zaporizhzhya region for which Russian military units are conducting full-fledged defense drills.
"The expectation of an imminent deadly battle hangs in the air," Rogozin concluded.
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