President Vladimir Putin's threats of a nuclear strike have not been backed up by the weapons being sent to Russia's battlefield forces in Ukraine, according to defence experts .
Three days after the invasion, the Russian leader announced that his “deterrence” nuclear forces were to be placed on a “special mode of combat duty” as a means of deterring Nato’s direct involvement in Ukraine.
While Russia has a large arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles on constant high alert, there is no intelligence to show its tactical weapons are on a newly special footing, said Pavel Podvig, head of the Russian nuclear forces project at the Chatham House think tank
“It appears that there was nothing there that would indicate a really heightened state of alert,” he said. “There are no Iskander missiles roaming around with nuclear warheads and there are no aircraft sitting on tarmac ready to take off.”
If Russia were to fire a nuclear weapon, it would probably use one of the vehicle-mounted Iskander-M missiles that is capable of firing a 50-kiloton warhead at a target up to 500 kilometres away.
But the weapon would have to be armed first, requiring the Strategic Missile Forces to open special ammunition bunkers to retrieve the weapon, potentially alerting western intelligence.
To date, it appears that there are no “visible steps” of weapons being removed, Dr Podvig told a Chatham House webinar.
“As I understand it, that hasn't been done. There is no nuclear button on the table that someone could push and order a launch.”
He suggested Mr Putin’s messaging had been “largely political” to deter Nato involvement.
But a Kremlin-backed television station carried a comment on Tuesday from its regular contributor Igor Korotchenko, who urged commanders to arm units with tactical nuclear weapons in response to a trade blockade.
“What should be Russia’s response? Tactical nuclear weapons as battlefield weapons. Clearly, two brigades of the Iskander missiles should be equipped with special munitions.”
In response, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that Russia should “stop this dangerous, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”.
“Let there be no doubt about our readiness to protect and defend allies against any threat anytime … Russia must understand that it can never win a nuclear war,” he told reporters before a Nato leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium.
Sir Lawrence Freedman, a respected military strategist, told Chatham House that if Mr Putin faced “humiliation and embarrassment” in Ukraine, “he doesn't have that many options”.
It was difficult to understand Mr Putin’s state of mind and “his grasp of the situation that he's put his country into and how determined he would be to avoid that humiliation”.
He added that despite being devastating, nuclear weapons are “not game-changing … not least because it's hard to contain their effects when you've got forces close to each other".
Dr Podvig agreed that Mr Putin’s rationality was questionable — meaning that there is “a chance, however small, of this escalating into really serious nuclear exchange”.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The view from The National
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
