“… Biden sends secret nuclear strike warning to Putin.”

“The US has been sending secret messages to Russia to warn that it will face grave consequences if it conducts a nuclear strike in Ukraine. 

Deliberately vague, the memos are designed to keep the Kremlin guessing over how Joe Biden, the US President, would respond.

US officials told the Washington Post newspaper the private communications had been dispatched regularly for the last several months.

The revelation emerged after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Wednesday issued a threat to retaliate with nuclear weapons.

Western officials have played down the chances of the Kremlin leader using nuclear weapons, noting he has said similar things in the past. “

Comment: So, that is why Putin’s “warning” was “conditional. pl

Ukraine war latest: Biden sends secret nuclear strike warning to Putin (telegraph.co.uk)

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60 Responses to  “… Biden sends secret nuclear strike warning to Putin.”

  1. Fourth and Long says:

    And on the ssixth day, she ..

    How do you like your frieze ixesss?

    Something like that?

    I’d out ti* said Janet J. Great great .. grand… Of a pretzelbent? Nah.

    • Fourth and Long says:

      Oh. Let me not omit to mention. That when Papa, that horrendous person who was a navigator of four engine US Air Corps aircraft during El Bigg Won would find himself in a position where he decided to allow the phrase “British Intelligence” to pass his lips, he would noticably wet his right pinkie finger, and demonstrably use it to smooth down and adjust his eyebrow hairs. He even tried to affect a lisp while saying those hilariously silly almost entertaining words, but it wasn’t really a talent he possessed.

      So, ta ta and tally ho, daily telly glaff till I almost ..

  2. TTG says:

    This is also after Biden’s recent 60 Minutes comment. “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.” Sounds like neither Biden nor Putin are itching to push the button as opposed to Carson and MacGregor who seem to be itching for a Russian limited strike.

    • Fourth and Long says:

      Carson maybe, not Macgregor, imo. Too many Gs. Douglas Macgregor. But the Gog Magog lunacy of it all is my teacup interesting. But that’s four Gs. His name has three. His middle name is Abbott. There’s a deep reference there to a Talmudic Jewish tradition which I bet would infuriate Tusker. And Christian and Buddhist etc. Or he’s a bot? No.
      Macgregor is a good man. His name indicates a Scotsman.

    • morongobill says:

      Whoa. That is really way out there. Having watched many Col. Macgregor
      videos and reading much about him, no way is he itching for a nuclear strike. Quite honestly, TTG, your line at the end sounds a bit deranged, as well as defamatory.

      • TTG says:

        morongobill and F&L,

        You’re probably both right. MacGregor probably doesn’t want to see any nuclear strike. He surely understands what that would lead to. He is, however, rooting wildly for a Russian victory in their invasion of Ukraine. He’s not doing very well in his assessments of the war’s progress.

        • Bill Roche says:

          Back in early March(?) I mentioned I saw some guy on T.V., some Col. (ret) I think named MacGregor who said the Ukrainians had no military chance. Col Lang responded and said was that Doug MacGregor? Well it was. Pat Lang said, Doug MacGregor, artillary, I know him, good man. Maybe his opinion is limited to an artillary point of view.
          Since, Col. MacGregor hasn’t deviated from his analysis. What strikes me as odd is that he continues to say this while Ukraine is holding their own if not winning.
          So my judgment on him is out. If Col. Lang said he thought him a good man there was a reason. If he is deliberately ignoring facts on the ground there is also a reason. No deviation from MacGregor after 6 months in battle is either a consistent analysis or politically driven.

          • Pat Lang says:

            BR
            M is Armor.

          • borko says:

            It is not just MacGregor.
            There’s a whole bunch of them, S. Ritter, Larry Johnson, Martyanov, Duran guys, Gonzalo Lira and many others saying pretty much the same thing from the beginning.
            In their view, Russia has won the war 6 months ago and has been mopping up ever since.
            All evidence to the contrary is just part of some clever ploy or a Russian trap.
            It’s like they are reading from the same script.

        • Pat Lang says:

          TTG As I said before he predicted in April that it would all be over in a couple of weeks.

      • jimmy says:

        Macgregor has been wrong since day 1. I too have been watching his videos.

    • Muralidhar Rao says:

      TTG what I don’t understand is this: So far until recently that is his Thursday televised announcement of mobilisation there was no talk of nuclear strike by Russia. But there were plenty of nuclear strike talks by Saint Zelensky (that too in presence of VP Kamala Harris and all other NATO members were not rebuked) then you have Liz Truss who openely asked for the red button to strike Russia before she was elected as Prime Minister of England. Why is it always the Big Bad Ass Dude Putin is threatening the west with nuclear war? Just mind boggling to understand.

  3. powderfinger1 says:

    Do we watch the same show? I wonder. It doesn’t seem like it.

  4. Barbara Ann says:

    One thing which we have not yet discussed in depth, before we get to the truly unthinkable, is conventional strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Russia has so far attacked a few dams and power plants, notably in a fit of pique after the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive. Ukraine has already responded in kind, even on Russian territory in Belgorod, for example. There is a widespread expectation/hope among the pro ‘Z’ community that infrastructure attacks will be stepped up in a big way when Russia’s ‘defensive’ war with Ukraine starts (likely very soon after the referenda are over on 27th). The general view is incredulity that Russia didn’t destroy all the Dnieper bridges months ago, for example.

    Does Russia have the capability in its conventional arsenal to do enough damage (bridges, rail infrastructure, power generation etc) to alter the war’s outcome and if so might this be the route Putin takes in the immediate term? What would NATO’s likely response be?

    • morongobill says:

      Even this late in the game, Russia could literally flatten Ukraine, despite all the weaponry that they have expended. I doubt anyone here will disagree with that opinion. All through this war, weapon experts keep saying Russia is about to run out of———, fill in the blank. They keep lobbing the shells, grads and missiles.

      To answer your last question, I don’t see what Nato could say with a straight face; after all, they are the ones who bombed the dogcrap out of Serbia and Libya.

      • Pat Lang says:

        morongobill
        I disagree with your statement.

      • jimmy says:

        Has anyone looked to see how many shells the Russians were firing at the beginning of the war compared to now?

        I haven’t been able to find that information. I would assume a slow down may indicate a shortage of shells.

        The Russians have surely run low on assualt type forces, hence the reliance on their artillery.

        • TTG says:

          jimmy,

          Once the M777s, HIMARS and other artillery pieces kicked in, the Russian rate of fire dropped by 50% or more.

    • JamesT says:

      Barbara Ann

      I have also been thinking that this would be the next step of escalation. Scott Ritter has expressed confidence that Russia can shut down Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure.

    • Fred says:

      Barbara Ann,

      Russia attacked a number of Ukrainian railroad system transformer stations in an effort to limit rail based supply. How effective was that at the time? Their aircraft have not ranged freely over the battlefield. They have had at least two airfields attacked by Ukrainians resulting in a number of aircraft being damaged or destroyed. There has not been any reports mentioning similar commando raids behind Ukrainian lines.

      • TTG says:

        Fred,

        A great mystery of this war is the lack of Russian Spetsnaz activity behind Ukrainian lines. That’s supposed to be a hallmark of Russian doctrine as it was in Soviet doctrine. Last week, I noticed the 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade is being employed as a common infantry unit on the front line in Kherson along with a good number of VDV brigades. The 45th was the unit that did an exchange tour with 10th SFG(A) back in the 90s. Are the Russians really that strapped for troops that they have to use the 45th as common grunts. Or are the Russian MOD just serious boneheads?

        • Fred says:

          TTG,

          Not that I care to give advice but I would have had them in action months ago, not acting as front line infantry either. The front line is so porous they could be operating on the opposite side of Ukraine in a day or two. Somebody is holding them back, either from incompetence, malice, or knowledge that they are a hollow shell of their former selves.

          • TTG says:

            Fred,

            I agree. Something is either bad wrong in the 45th or incredibly stupid in the Russian MOD. Or it could be both.

    • Bill Roche says:

      B.A. I asked the same thing a week ago. Russia, stymied on the ground, unable to win tactical air control, will have to take another route. What would it be? Blow up everything from the air. If Ukraine won’t submit to being Russia’s bitch, if they think they are an independent people w/roots back to the 14th century, then Russia will bomb them back to it. All Ukrainian infrastructure will be destroyed. Dams, power stations, bridges, airports, cities w/all those pretty old churches will be destroyed. Bear bombers flying at 55M feet will destroy Ukraine. I asked then, what would be Ukraine’s defense. I ask it still.

  5. Sam says:

    Re MacGregor: This happens when advocacy masquerades as objective analysis.

    This begs the question, why the advocacy for Putin?

    • different clue says:

      Muh feels that the reason for that is this . . .

      A number of people feel that the American Republic has been supplanted by a NeoWilsonian/ NeoConservative American Empire. They think the rulers of that Empire have entered into Hubris-determined-actions territory. They hope that a Nemesis to this Hubris will somehow somewhere emerge. Some of them hope that Putin and the RF may provide that nemesis. Their ultimate hope is that Putin as the bringer of Nemesis can trigger off the self-immolation and self-removal of the NeoConWil American Empire and that the American Republic may re-emerge from the ashes like a phoenix reborn.

      Such are muh feels on the matter.

  6. Sam says:

    Another revealing video. Scene inside a mustering station in Russia where an officer yells at angry, resentful men who have been mobilized.
    “That’s it- playtime’s over. You’re soldiers now!”

    https://twitter.com/reevellp/status/1573272879655010306?s=21

    How will unmotivated Russian draftees fight a motivated Ukrainian military?

    • morongobill says:

      Probably the way our Vietnam era draftees did when the DI’s met them at the
      bootcamp, they buckled down and did what they were told.

      • Pat Lang says:

        morongobill
        Early on that was true but as public sentiment at home turned they became more and more unreliable. The same was true for lieutenants.

        • morongobill says:

          Colonel by any chance have you read the novel, Matterhorn? I forgot who wrote it but I remember he was a combat officer in Vietnam.
          Other readers of SST, I highly recommend this book.
          Sorry for the off topic post.

          • Leith says:

            Bill –

            Author of Matterhorn was Karl Marlantes, a Navy Cross winner who served in 1/4. He is a local guy up here in the NW. Says he wrote it in 1970 thru 1972 soon after he left Nam. But could never get it published until 50 years later. Although a fictional novel it’s based on his experiences on Bamboo Mountain near the old DMZ north of route 9.

        • cobo says:

          The worst Lieutenant I ever had was just out of West Point. Damn fool ordered me to only ONLY do what he ordered me to do. That tremendously reduced my workload. ROTC Lieutenants, they were all ok. I was in 76-79, so you get the picture. The frontline VN Lieutenants, who weren’t fragged, were very good. That standard of judgement worked for me every time.

          • cobo says:

            Of course, “The frontline VN Lieutenants” were then higher ranked officers, specifically Captains that I had the pleasure of serving with. There are so many very talented people in our military.

          • TTG says:

            cobo,

            In 76 to 79, I was one of those lieutenants. Except for a very few substandard individuals, we were a pretty sharp and dedicated crew among the light infantry battalions of the 25th ID.

    • Bill Roche says:

      Times change and still they remain the same. I remember being told exactly that in the fall of ’68. Although the DI’s were much much much more colorful in their language.

  7. Jose says:

    Putin is not Cornpop, Brandon doesn’t realize that yet.

    1. AFU did not rout the AFR, it was strategic withdraw.

    2. AFR Air Force has not been unleashed yet.

    3. Manpower issue were AFR not having enough support forces to maintain an army in Ukraine, this will change once mobilization happens.

    4. Brandon will not risk a full scale nuclear exhange with Russian over Ukraine.

    5. The demonization of opposing views is really getting out of hand in “The Land of The Free and The Home of The Brave.”

    6. This could have been avoided since we know how this will end.

    7. One of the best songs for the subject matter ar hand:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpu5a0Bl8eY

    • Fourth and Long says:

      It sure is.
      The people believed they were flying saucers, the pilot found 99 бaloons. So , safe he opened fire to show strength and through lies and freak out it led to 99 years of war.

      Nena. the Ennead. I had a dear friend named Nina.

    • TTG says:

      Jose,

      That 99 Luftbaloon came out when I was at the SFOB on RAF Sculthorpe. My buddy and I walked through the protestors at RAF Greenham Common with loaded 45s and backpack nuclear launch codes in his breast pocket. We thought it was fitting. A month later I was on my way to Lebanon.

    • Fred says:

      Jose,

      “Brandon will not risk a full scale nuclear exhange with Russian over Ukraine.”

      I don’t think it is Brandon we need to worry about.

  8. Clueless Joe says:

    Since Putin basically said the same, asserting that if facing any kind of nuclear attack, Russia had vast nuclear means of retaliating, then all is well on this front and both sides are aware of MAD.

  9. p s c says:

    Just so London receives a nuke too. Tiocfaidh ar la.

    • Bill Roche says:

      Don’t blame the Anglo-Saxon for the Norman.

      • different clue says:

        This brings up a feeling I have had about historical meanings. I have never worked it out so well as Babak Makkinejad worked out his various theses about Diocletian’s Line and the Seljuk Empire and so forth.

        But my feeling has been this: that the Angles and Saxons who settled in a part of Celtic Britain wanted to re-create a Germanic peasant paradise and be left alone to enjoy it. William the Norman and his Conquistadors invaded Saxon England and re-organized it into a platform for further Viking-type conquest . . . first of Cornwall, then Wales, then Scotland, then Ireland and then the whole British Empire beyond that.

        I remember reading once in a book whose title I have forgotten about some very bad waves of plague and disease long before the great Black Death. Because Celtic Britain was totally plugged in to the trading networks of its place and time, Celtic Britain got this plague about the same time Europe across the Channel got it. Whereas the Saxon England of the day was so resistant to trade and so unconnected to the trade networks of its place and time that Saxon England did not join this plague cycle till almost a hundred years later.

        • Bill Roche says:

          Interesting idea on the plague in the British Isles. I dunno. But there is a theory (and mebe a book, there’s always a book) called “Forever Empire”. Its premise is the nasty ass Normans started the ball rolling in Normandy, rolled it into England, then Wales, then Ireland and on to Jamestown. There after the idea of conquest swept across America (Manifest Destiny) and all the way to the Philippines. The Normans, and their extended progeny, simply ran out of things to conquer. One can make a similar case for Spain after the Reconquista. In that pivotal year Spain began its forever conquest beginning with the Canaries and, of course, Columbus. It too stopped at Manila. Its an interesting idea.

  10. jim ticehurst.. says:

    How Many Suitcase and Back pack Nukes Are Still Around..And Who has Them..
    Friends…Foes…Freaks..?

    One should Question Where Putin Would Target a Low Yield Nuke..5 Mile or Less.. For Effect..and Damage..But No Where it would Excuse all Out War or Retaliation…

    Weapons Storages Etc..Inside Ukraine…Where..?

    Also…The USA Did Began to Armor up Ukraine in in 2018..Anti Tank Wepons Etc..
    While We were also in Ukraine..Doind Road and Bicks with them and several thousand Chinese..By winter 2021..V Putin had Reasons to believe that Ukraine was Joining NATO..and The EU..And The Door Was to Russia..In Europe..Was Being..Shut…Triple Locked..and Sealed…. China Was Very Happy..That West Asia..
    Was Once Again…in Europe.. Steal…Kung Fu..Political Assassins…With a Smile.
    JT

    • TTG says:

      jim ticehurst,

      We began training and equipping the Ukrainians way back in 2008 when they volunteered to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. The training and reorganizing really kicked in after the first Russian invasion.

      Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 and the NATO Partnership for Peace program in 1994. Her NATO aspirations predate winter 2021 by quite a few years.

      • Bill Roche says:

        Interesting isn’t it. Everyone is certain that it was NATO expansion and our neocon state dept morons who provoked Russia to invade Ukraine. Yet the Ukrainians joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council the very year they declared independence from Russia, and just three years later joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace. I’ll bet the Ukrainians knew even then they d/n want to be a Russian lap dog; not in ’91, not in 2014, and not in 2022.
        What was that broadway song “I want to be me, I want to be me …” something like that? Why do so many correspondents find it difficult to understand Ukraine saying “I want to be free, I want to be free …”

  11. Sam says:

    Two weeks after Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine last February, he assured the women of Russia that neither conscripts nor reservists would be sent to the front. Only professional military personnel would be fighting, he promised.

    This week, however, he announced a mobilisation that could send up to 1mn Russian men to the battlefields in Ukraine in coming months. The Kremlin has also announced sham referendums in the Ukrainian territory occupied by Moscow that may result in those areas being annexed to Russia next week, and Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend them. The Russian leader’s reckless moves have one goal: to turn the tables in a war that he is losing. These actions are unlikely to deliver victory, but they do increase the risk of a potential collision between Russia and Nato

    https://www.ft.com/content/6d1f5ad5-f867-4e65-9127-916a195e9780

    Putin climbing the escalatory ladder as he’s losing. He didn’t count on the Ukrainian military having the fight in them. Huge strategic error. So how will he vindicate himself?

    • Bill Roche says:

      Here’s how Putin vindicates himself. He holds American support down by threatening nuclear war. W/time bought he increases his manpower and unleashes complete air destruction of the Ukrainian nation driving them back to the 14th century. Come Feb-Mar. he sends in his 300M new soldiers to clean up the mess. He is betting that NATO will not send in necessary/sufficient air defense to shoot the russkies out of the sky. He is further betting that the rest of the world really does not give a damn if several million Ukrainians, Uranians, Neptonians or what ever they are, are killed. He may just be right.

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