India's intervention made Russia abandon nuclear strikes on Ukraine: Report
India and China might have played a key role in preventing Russia from using nuclear weapons in 2022 during its war with Ukraine, CNN reported, citing United States (US) officials. They claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention, along with that of other nations, may have influenced Russian President Vladimir Putin to drop the idea of a nuclear strike. This happened despite Russian forces facing back-to-back setbacks on the war front.
Why does this story matter?
India considers Russia as a longstanding partner from the Cold War era. The two nations became strategic partners in 2000 and elevated their cooperation in defense and other sectors. In February 2022, as soon as the Russia-Ukraine crisis erupted, Western countries banded together to embargo Russia and isolate it from the rest of the world. India, on the other hand, refused to join in any sanctions campaign against Russia. Subsequently, Russia offered India cheap oil.
Alarming intelligence, Russian concerns
In 2022, US officials were concerned about Russia potentially using tactical nuclear weapons as it faced challenges in Ukraine. "If significant numbers of Russian forces were overrun...that was a sort of precursor to a potential threat directly to Russian territory," a senior US official told CNN. Russia also feared its troops could be trapped and destroyed in Kherson if Ukrainian forces continued their advance. All these factors led the Biden administration to fear the possibility of a nuclear Armageddon.
Russia's 'dirty bomb' theory
Around the same time, Russian supporters and propagandists started discussing the possibility of Ukraine using a "dirty bomb" against Russia, per reports. In October 2022, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also expressed concern about "possible provocations by Kyiv involving the use of a dirty bomb." He reportedly also huddled with the US, United Kingdom, France, and Turkey over this. However, western officials thought this was a fabricated story that Russia might use as an excuse to launch its nuclear attack.
Involvement of India, China
US then turned to non-allies like India and China for help. Following this, PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping intervened, which may have helped prevent the nuclear war between Russia and Ukraine, they claimed. "I think we believe showing the international community the concern about this, particularly the concern from key countries for Russia and the Global South, was also a helpful, persuasive factor and showed them what the cost of all this could be," a US official said.
Know about Russia-Ukraine conflict
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 over territorial disputes and to prevent the latter from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As the Russia-Ukraine crisis deepens, Ukraine has been successful in launching a counter-offensive against Russian forces with defense support, including military drones from the West and NATO countries.
