Have you got an independent source?

Ahem. I am quite sure it is the Commander in Chief who can order DEFCON. And we are far from a MAD scenario. If Putin feels so cornered that he starts lashing out, he would probably use a tactical nuclear strike in Ukraine.

Can't believe I am writing this.

I wonder if the Chinese are rethinking their support for Putin?

Tears for Fears sums up the latest situation nicely.

Tears for Fears - It's a Mad World pop video

According to RIA News:

The Ambassador of Ukraine called the ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops the conditions for negotiations with Russia

Kyiv will demand a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops in negotiations with Moscow. Such conditions of the Ukrainian side were called by the country's ambassador to Turkey, Vasily Bodnar, RIA Novosti reports.

According to him, the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border could lead to a ceasefire.

The concept that 'tactical limited nuclear strike' could happen has made the MAD concept much much more dangerous. At least in Ye Olde Days when I used to march in demos in the 70s, marched to Molesworth and spent time at Greenham Common to try and make people realise MAD was just a very dangerous illusion- and that it would only work until one or more MAD men got involved- the MAD concept was clear. Smaller tactical weapons have made the illusion much much more dangerous.

What do you think would happen in Putin did, as you say above?

Sure, and he can order to stand down. It´s just that MAD is a step for step escalation and Biden will HAVE to step in to de escalate if the wheels are set in motion.

If they want to use it as a pretence, it does not matter whether true or false. In war the truth dies first.

Russian news outlet reported the same thing in 2014 and it was fake then.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/20/...e-lies-or-what

Bank runs in Russia as people flock to withdraw cash ASAP . Excellent news! In a way, this is probably the most that people can actually do in terms of protest: showing their lack of confidence in Putin.

Not all uses of Willy Pete are banned, only.. "Only" using it´s chemical properties as a weapon are banned. Using WP as a smoke generator to hide is common.
So it could be that the UA have deployed it as for cover, more context is needed.

Good question. I think the West will not go nuclear if Putin drops a "small" tactical bomb outside of NATO. If he does that, people will realize there is no stopping him from going further. So the long game is regime change in Russia, even if it means waiting for Putin to die.

One big question is whether this might make China come around. Or of course would see this as an opportunity to take Taiwan. I am somewhat optimistic that in this scenario the Chinese would start siding with the West. But maybe that is naive.

I think Biden is smart enough to understand that he needs to take decisions carefully, and the worst would be to fall into automatic escalation.

The problem with Putin is not that he is insane. I think he is rational within his world. The problem is that there is no team there making decisions. He doesn't get to hear different perspectives. There is no party system. There is no Politburo type of around the table discussions. He only listens to himself.


I need to go out and get some sun and air.

So far does not look like the US will upgrade its readiness.

"White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert are part of a wider pattern of unprovoked escalation and "manufactured threats" from the Kremlin."

While the US has enough nuclear armed submarines scattered around the world then that is probably adequate.

the problem is even if west will giveup UA now, the situation will be repeated later with Poland or Latvia or Lithuania or Estonia

Putin is furious because his 3rd strong army in the world appeared to be a gang of scared youngsters in rust buckets with no food and no fuel. I hope the videos with captives are translated in English and shown in the whole world. Also one of the Chechen brigade refused to go to Ukraine and the other one stayed forever on the streets of Butcha near Kyiv. There is a hilarious audio of the radio exchange between Russians in the forest: "We don't know where we are, we lost everything, please take us away from here". The liberators, my ass. Get back to your mothers and never return.

Sputnik and the likes should be simply banned in Europe.

And it's quoted here.....

I agree. And this will be then the real test if NATO Article 5 is worth anything. As Tom Nichols put it some days ago, "Putin will say let's see about that when the bullets fly".

But we are in a new era. We crossed the Rubicon. And I am afraid this will only end when Putin is dead.

No, because these are direct nato states.

As our ex-President Poroshenko says you should not give in to Putin even in the smallest. Otherwise he will take everything. He only knows the position of power.

Funny, I always thought about myself as a citizen of the poor 3rd world country. These days I'm so proud that I was born Ukrainian! Glory to Ukraine!

there will be another putin