A Russian pro-war Telegram channel published posts calling for nuclear strikes against Ukrainian targets.
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In the first post the channel urged the use of tactical nuclear strikes against the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). The post came as a reaction to the Kharkiv offensive carried out by the ZSU, which lead to Russian losses of previously occupied territory.
The post stated that although a general mobilization is an important and widely-discussed issue, currently deployed Russian soldiers are suffering a severe shortage of equipment, and are forced to buy their own clothing. The post asked sarcastically: "What will new recruits wear and what will they fight with? Will they be equipped with a baseball cap, Chinese sneakers, and a museum-quality AK-47? No armor, no helmets, no fucking gear. I don't even want to talk about tents, night vision goggles, [or] drones."
Tactical Nuclear Weapons Should Target Ukrainian Troops, Equipment, And Vital Infrastructure, "Especially On The Western Border, To Demonstrate To The EU Neighbors That We Are Serious"
The poor state of affairs in the Russian Army is due to corruption, the channel claimed. Winning the war, it then argued, should be a top priority, and done at all costs. It wrote: "If we lose, everything goes to shits, not to mention the trail of shame and humiliation that will linger behind us for literally centuries." To this end, the author proposed the usage of tactical nuclear arms against the ZSU, writing: "Tactical nuclear weapons should be used, first where the enemy's manpower and equipment are accumulated. At the same time, we should also strike vital infrastructure. Especially on the western border, to demonstrate to the EU neighbors that we are serious."
The post read: "If NATO decides to strike back (which is highly unlikely), well, then the whole world will be fucked. But even that is better than an embarrassing and humiliating defeat."
In a follow-up post the channel argued that general mobilization in Russia could have negative consequences: "thousands of POWs and thousands of deserters at once, cases of self-harm [in order to evade conscription] and endless 'rivers of tears' from mothers standing in front of TV cameras of every media."
Reiterating the issue of equipment shortages among Russian forces, the post stated: "the average citizen has been getting an earful for 10 years (and even fucking longer) about an advanced 'wunderwaffe' ['miracle weapon'] army, only to find out in September 2022 that he must purchase a helmet and vest at his own expense on the 'Avito' website."
The only way to achieve victory, said the post, is to deploy tactical nuclear arms against the enemy's manpower and equipment, "To strike several attacking groups, which will permanently demoralize the entire army of the Khokhols [racial slur for Ukrainians] and discourage them from advancing in all directions." The author emphasized that NATO won't carry out retaliatory nuclear strikes.
The post read: "I don't know what Putin and his fake warlord [Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu] will do now, but if we keep up this kind of twaddle, by the end of the year we will be entrenched around Belgorod and Kursk."
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