Capt. Ironpants
Active Member
Three things.
1. On June 22, this resolution was introduced in the US Senate:
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today introduced a resolution to respond to the Russian Federation delivering tactical nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus. This is the first time Russia has deployed nuclear warheads beyond its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union, and represents a serious threat to global security in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
Graham and Blumenthal noted their resolution holds that any use of a tactical nuclear weapon by Russia, Belarus or their proxies, or the destruction of a nuclear facility that disperses radioactive contaminants into NATO territory would be viewed as an attack on NATO itself, requiring an Article V response.
Link:
Video of their press conference on CSPAN:
2. As I'm sure we've all seen in the news, both sides have been accusing the other of planning some sort of nuclear incident, and have for quite some time, although this appears to have stepped up in the past few weeks. Examples:
3. The US has provided a network of radiation sensors to Ukraine, and some Ukrainian military elements have been conducting exercises for protection in case of radiation release or nuclear or biochemical attacks:
Some Ukrainian telegram channels received information that in the Kherson region, military personnel from the 124th, 126th and 406th brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted exercises for radiation, chemical and biological protection:
Okay, all that is normal enough. American politicians posturing, looking tough, sending stern warnings to Russia (the usual stuff they do). Russians and Ukrainians trading accusations, each claiming the other is planning some fiendish nuclear thing or other. Nothing new there! The radiation sensors are reportedly new, but nothing more than a precaution. I imagine elements on both sides have drilled for nuclear attacks/radiation leaks before. No alarm bells there.
The thing I worry about is this: Suppose some stray thing that goes boom strikes the nuclear plant. Or there's some accidental radiation leak. No matter who shoots it off, or how accidental a leak might be, the Russians will be blamed by the US. And Article V is immediately invoked? I hope no such thing happens in any case, of course. That Senate resolution bugs me for a few reasons.
1. On June 22, this resolution was introduced in the US Senate:
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today introduced a resolution to respond to the Russian Federation delivering tactical nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus. This is the first time Russia has deployed nuclear warheads beyond its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union, and represents a serious threat to global security in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
Graham and Blumenthal noted their resolution holds that any use of a tactical nuclear weapon by Russia, Belarus or their proxies, or the destruction of a nuclear facility that disperses radioactive contaminants into NATO territory would be viewed as an attack on NATO itself, requiring an Article V response.
Link:
Graham, Blumenthal Introduce Resolution To Address Threat Of Russian Tactical Nukes
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today introduced a resolution to respond to the Russian Federation delivering tactical nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus. This is the first time Russia has deployed nuclear warheads...
www.lgraham.senate.gov
Video of their press conference on CSPAN:
Senators Graham and Blumenthal News Conference on Russian Nuclear Threats
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) held a news conference on Russian tactical nuclear threats.
www.c-span.org
2. As I'm sure we've all seen in the news, both sides have been accusing the other of planning some sort of nuclear incident, and have for quite some time, although this appears to have stepped up in the past few weeks. Examples:
Zelenskyy urges world to heed Ukraine’s ‘terror’ attack warning
President slams ‘countries pretending to be neutral’ after warning Russia could be planning nuclear plant assault.
www.aljazeera.com
Russian spy chief flags 'suspicious' Ukrainian nuclear activity
One of Russia's top spymasters said on Monday he hoped that the U.N. nuclear watchdog and the European Union would look into Ukrainian nuclear activity that he said might signal Kyiv was working on a "dirty bomb".
www.reuters.com
Russia asks IAEA to ensure Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security
Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday to ensure Ukraine does not shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely.
www.reuters.com
3. The US has provided a network of radiation sensors to Ukraine, and some Ukrainian military elements have been conducting exercises for protection in case of radiation release or nuclear or biochemical attacks:
U.S. Wires Ukraine With Radiation Sensors to Detect Nuclear Blasts (Published 2023)
The federal National Nuclear Security Administration is setting up an advanced network that can verify an attacker’s identity.
www.nytimes.com
Some Ukrainian telegram channels received information that in the Kherson region, military personnel from the 124th, 126th and 406th brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted exercises for radiation, chemical and biological protection:
Украина.ру
В некоторые украинских телеграмм каналах поступила информация о том, что на территории правобережной части Херсонской области военнослужащие из 124, 126 бригады теробороны, а также 406 отдельной артиллерийской бригады ВСУ провели учения по радиохимической и биологической защите. ◽️В течение...
t.me
Okay, all that is normal enough. American politicians posturing, looking tough, sending stern warnings to Russia (the usual stuff they do). Russians and Ukrainians trading accusations, each claiming the other is planning some fiendish nuclear thing or other. Nothing new there! The radiation sensors are reportedly new, but nothing more than a precaution. I imagine elements on both sides have drilled for nuclear attacks/radiation leaks before. No alarm bells there.
The thing I worry about is this: Suppose some stray thing that goes boom strikes the nuclear plant. Or there's some accidental radiation leak. No matter who shoots it off, or how accidental a leak might be, the Russians will be blamed by the US. And Article V is immediately invoked? I hope no such thing happens in any case, of course. That Senate resolution bugs me for a few reasons.