Could Vladimir Putin use nuclear weapons?
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 20 October 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Russians are on the back foot in the war in Ukraine and have just evacuated the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson. The setbacks for Moscow have led to increasing concern in western capitals about the prospect of President Vladimir Putin using a nuclear weapon.
But what are the real chances of Russia moving from nuclear threats to nuclear action. And how might the NATO powers respond?
Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are: Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College, London. Matthew Kroenig, Professor of Government at Georgetown University and Acting Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council Patricia Lewis, Director of the International Security Programme at Chatham House.
Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Daniel Gordon and Simon Watts Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross
Image: Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.4 | Hello, I'm Danny Robbins, host of the spooky podcast Uncanny and the Battersea Poultergeist. |
| 0:11.6 | Just before you settle down for your usual podcast, maybe you're out walking or maybe you're at home. |
| 0:19.2 | But are you alone? |
| 0:21.6 | Are you sure? |
| 0:23.4 | Because this is a warning. |
| 0:27.0 | Something wicked this way comes. |
| 0:29.9 | My brand new podcast series, The Witch Farm, |
| 0:33.6 | mixes documentary and drama to investigate a real-life paranormal cold case. |
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| 0:49.8 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Aronovich. |
| 0:52.8 | You, me, the top experts, a big issue and 28 minutes all brought together in the virtual space that is the briefing room. |
| 1:00.7 | This week, how big is the danger of nuclear weapons being used in Ukraine? |
| 1:08.1 | The Russians are evacuating the occupied Ukrainian city of Hearsan. |
| 1:13.1 | This is one conventional war that the aggressor is not winning. |
| 1:16.9 | So what if it doesn't stay conventional? |
| 1:20.0 | It's certainly being talked about. |
| 1:23.5 | Our country has a variety of weapons of destruction, |
| 1:26.4 | and in some areas even more modern than those in NATO countries. |
| 1:29.9 | And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will, without question, use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. |
| 1:39.1 | This is not a bluff. |
| 1:42.4 | President Putin's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible. |
... |
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