Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv’s military claims downing of Russian fighter plane over Donetsk region
GuardianSep 24
Russia Warns of 'War with Catastrophic Consequences'
Above: The Russian Foreign Ministry building and Moscow's International Business Centre (Moskva City) behind the dome of a church in central Moscow on Oct.18, 2022. Image copyright: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Contributor via Getty Images
The Facts
Top Russian diplomats this week made public comments cautioning Ukraine's foreign partners against an escalation of hostilities, each warning that the current trajectory will lead to a war of catastrophic scale.
Yulia Zhdanova, who led the Russian delegation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control over the weekend told Russian news agency RIA Novosty that "NATO has long been preparing for a potential armed clash with Russia, constantly working out possible options — from the Arctic to the Black Sea."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While Putin's nuclear signaling may be dangerous as it brings the world closer to the use of such weapons, there are some benefits in that it tells Ukraine's partners the limit of attacks that Russia can tolerate before it decides it's going nuclear. In either instance, the real threat of the use of nuclear weapons remains relatively low.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite the rhetoric of politicians, NATO weapons and unmarked NATO soldiers are currently invading nuclear-armed Russia in its Kursk region. World War III has already begun and no one is talking about it.