If the Russians continue to lose ground in Ukraine, they may use chemical weapons. This may include the poison used against Russian Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny. This is reported by the American ‘Politico’, which is based on six unnamed insiders in the US government.
The officials, who have insisted on anonymity, do not believe there is an imminent threat, but they say Moscow can make the move if it needs to retreat further. Russian President Vladimir Putin would first use chemical weapons and only then possibly resort to nuclear weapons.
The United States has no information to suggest that a chemical attack in Ukraine is imminent. The insiders rather expect the fighting to stop during the winter months, so not much will change for both sides on the battlefield. But in the event of continued losses, or a complete collapse of the Russian military, top officials are not ruling out escalation.
The United States National Security Council declined to comment.
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