埼玉英語会 英検１級・準１級　コミュのPutin will use tactical nuclear weapons;Kremlin insiders

***close in （＋on, around, upon~ )
phrasal verb
to move closer to someone or something, especially in order to attack them
enemy soldiers closing in on them from all sides


*** rout ; defeat, beat


***At a particular juncture means at a particular point in time,
especially when it is a very important time in a process or series of events.

***If something ratchets up or is ratcheted up, it increases by a fixed amount
or degree, and seems unlikely to decrease again.

***Armageddon is a terrible battle or war that some people think will lead to
the total destruction of the world or the human race.



Kremlin insiders warn Putin will use tactical nuclear weapons as fears of World War 3
soar


Many analysts believe that a military defeat would pose an existential threat to
the Russian President and his regime and that Putin will do anything to avoid such
an outcome.

Vladimir Putin will be tempted to use tactical nuclear weapons rather than back down
in Ukraine, according to Kremlin insiders. The Russian leader has suffered
a succession of humiliations on the battlefield, that threaten to seriously undermine
his authority. His army was routed on the Kharkiv front and continues to lose ground
in the east and south.

Ukrainian troops are reported to be closing in on Kherson,
with some experts predicting the port city could fall before winter sets in.

Putin's military woes have added to speculation that the Russian leader will resort to
extreme measures to ensure his army triumphs in Ukraine.

Many analysts believe that a military defeat would pose an existential threat to
the Russian President and his regime and that Putin will do anything to avoid
such an outcome.

The Kremlin despot (=Putin) has introduced "partial mobilisation" in an attempt to
turn around his military fortunes.

However, Kremlin insiders believe this is just the first step down a path that may well
lead to nuclear confrontation.

Farida Rustamova, a Russian investigative journalist, recently conducted a series of
interviews with Russian elites for her Fairdaily blog.

Commenting on the recent mobilisation orders, one Kremlin insider told her:
"The 300,000 [reservists) are just a distraction.
"Now it’s partial, but then there will be mass mobilisation, and after that tactical
nuclear weapons."

Another member of the elite who has worked closely with Putin,
predicted the Russian leader would continue to ratchet up the nuclear rhetoric.

He said: "Putin always chooses escalation.

"And he will continue to choose escalation at any unpleasant juncture,
up to and including nuclear weapons."

The Russian president has persistently threatened to deploy his nuclear arsenal
to ensure he achieves his war goals in Ukraine.


During the ceremony to officially annex four more Ukrainian provinces,
Putin once again raised the spectre of atomic war.

He told his audience that he would use all "forces and means at our disposal" to
protect Russian territory and sovereignty.

Military experts believe that the Russian president could be tempted to use tactical
nuclear weapons, which are smaller and less destructive than strategic ones.

However, the US President warned that even tactical nuclear weapons would
lead to "Armageddon".

Joe Biden told a Democratic fundraiser last week: "First time since the Cuban missile
crisis, we have a direct threat of the use of a nuclear weapon if in fact things
continue down the path they are going.