Daily Archives: December 12, 2022

MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow could adopt what he described as a U.S. concept of using preemptive military strikes, noting it has the weapons to do the job, in a blunt statement amid rising Russia-NATO tensions over Ukraine.

"We are just thinking about it. They werent shy to openly talk about it during the past years, Putin said, referring to the U.S. policy, as he attended a summit in Kyrgyzstan of a Moscow-dominated economic alliance of ex-Soviet nations.

For years, the Kremlin has expressed concern about U.S. efforts to develop the so-called Conventional Prompt Global Strike capability that envisions hitting an adversary's strategic targets with precision-guided conventional weapons anywhere in the world within one hour.

Speaking about a disarming strike, maybe its worth thinking about adopting the ideas developed by our U.S. counterparts, their ideas of ensuring their security, Putin said with a thin smile, noting that such a preemptive strike was intended to knock out command facilities.

He claimed that Russia already has commissioned hypersonic weapons capable of carrying out such a strike, while the U.S. hasn't yet deployed them. He also claimed that Russia now has cruise missiles that surpass their U.S. equivalents.

While Putin appeared to refer to conventional precision-guided weapons when he talked about possibly mimicking the U.S. strategy, he specifically noted that the U.S. hasn't ruled out the first use of nuclear weapons.

If the potential adversary believes that it can use the theory of a preemptive strike and we dont, it makes us think about the threats posed by such ideas in other countries defensive posture, he said.

In Washington, advisers to President Joe Biden viewed Putins comments as saber-rattling and another veiled warning that he could deploy a tactical nuclear weapon, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of the anonymity.

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The official noted that Russian military doctrine has long stated that Moscow reserves the right to first use of a nuclear weapon in response to large scale military aggression.

Putin was asked Wednesday at a Kremlin conference whether Russia could commit to forswearing a first strike and responded that such an obligation might prevent Russia from tapping its nuclear arsenal even if it came under a nuclear attack.

If it doesnt use it first under any circumstances, it means that it wont be the second to use it either, because the possibility of using it in case of a nuclear strike on our territory will be sharply limited, he responded.

He elaborated on that answer Friday, saying Russias nuclear doctrine is based on the launch on warning concept, which envisions nuclear weapons' use in the face of an imminent nuclear attack spotted by its early warning systems.

When the early warning system receives a signal about a missile attack, we launch hundreds of missiles that are impossible to stop, he said, smiling. Enemy missile warheads would inevitably reach the territory of the Russian Federation. But nothing would be left of the enemy too, because it's impossible to intercept hundreds of missiles. And this, of course, is a factor of deterrence.

Russias nuclear doctrine states the country can use nuclear weapons if it comes under a nuclear strike or if it faces an attack with conventional weapons that threatens the very existence of the Russian state.

Since sending Russian troops into Ukraine in February, Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow was ready to use all available means to protect its territory and has rejected Western criticism of nuclear saber-rattling.

I understand that ever since nuclear weapons, the weapons of mass destruction have appeared, all people the entirety of humankind have been worried what will happen to the planet and all of us, he said.

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Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

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Follow AP coverage of Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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Putin says Russia could adopt US preemptive strike concept

Kyiv, Ukraine Russia retaliated in brutal fashion this week after drone strikes targeted three airfields including two deep inside its territory. The last strike came Tuesday morning, against a Russian airport just across the border from Ukraine, but it was preceded by two others on Monday that saw drones penetrate hundreds of miles into Russia.

The first strikes which Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for, vaguely calling it karma for Russia's invasion and air assault that began in February drew a new barrage of missiles from Russian forces, taking aim at dozens of targets in Ukraine.

Russia has been trying to demoralize Ukrainians and their army by knocking out power and water infrastructure. Monday's frenzied attack on cities and towns across the country saw more than 70 missiles fired, according to Ukrainian officials. Kyiv's governor said about 40% of the capital region was left in the dark, but the impact from Moscow's assault could have been far worse were it not for Ukraine's missile defenses.

Ukrainian officials say the vast majority of the rockets fired by Russia on Monday were shot out of the sky.

Still small comfort for those who've paid the ultimate price, including Olha Trosyna's two neighbors.

"They were seeing off their son and daughter-in-law," Trosyna told CBS News in Kyiv. "They went outside to wave goodbye, and they were killed. Their house was also destroyed."

Amid the volley of missiles, Moscow also hurled another dire warning at the U.S. and Ukraine's other Western backers.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who's been a close advisor to President Vladimir Putin for decades, called the NATO alliance's support for Ukraine a "serious threat" to Russia, and warned that it risked a "direct clash between nuclear powers with catastrophic consequences."

Russia has ruthlessly targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure for months, destroying homes along with key pieces of the country's energy grid. Putin has been accused of weaponizing winter by plunging huge parts of the neighboring country into cold and darkness.

In the southern city of Kherson, which was liberated from Russia's invading forces just three weeks ago, volunteers now have little choice but to cook meals over open fires so people have something hot to eat.

Nine months of Russian occupation has obliterated any semblance of normalcy in Kherson, but what Ukrainians have shown time and again is that they will do everything they can to help each other, and resist Putin's efforts to quash their spirit.

Energy workers have become a vital part of the defense efforts, scrabbling to restore powerlines in the bitter cold, and having to pick their way around unexploded ordnance that litters huge parts of Ukraine.

As Moscow continues to make life miserable for Ukrainians, Putin made a rare public appearance on Monday, cruising along a vital bridge that serves as the only land link between Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland in a Mercedes on Monday.

It's a bridge that was seriously damaged by a huge explosion two months ago. Ukraine also declined to publicly take responsibility for that blast, as it did on Tuesday after the two military bases some 300 miles inside Russia were struck by drones.

Once again, officials in Kyiv put the blasts down to karma, making it clear that whatever may happen in Russia, it's not Ukraine's fault, but Vladimir Putin's.

Imtiaz Tyab is a CBS News correspondent based in London.

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