08.03.2026, Moscow.
The West once again demonstrates its focus on total war with Russia.
Statements by Ukrainian neo-Nazis about creating nuclear weapons in Ukraine began immediately after they came to power in 2014. With the first chants on the Maidan — “Moskalyaku na gilyaku (“to hang Moscovite on the tree branch”, ukr. – note by translator)” — the new government identified its main enemy, at which this weapon would be aimed.
With the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, such statements began to be heard more and more often from representatives of the Kiev regime. They claimed that Ukraine desperately needs nuclear warheads to defeat Russia. Western countries, for their part, increased the power and range of the weapons supplied to Ukraine, acknowledging that it would soon come to nuclear weapons. And, apparently, that moment is approaching.
If only it were just Ukraine…
On February 24, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) published an official statement about the secret transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine by the French and British.
This information predictably caused a wave of intense reactions in the political sphere, which immediately reached a fever pitch. The subsequent denials from official representatives of the countries accused of nuclear escalation did nothing to reduce the tension. This is quite understandable — the fact is that recently, several European countries have simultaneously declared their desire to possess nuclear weapons due to the alleged threat emanating from Russia.
Thus, on February 15, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated that Poland “must embark on the path towards its own Polish nuclear capability.” “Conditions need to be created to work in this direction. We are a country located next to an armed conflict,” he added.
Following Poland, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced his country’s readiness to host nuclear weapons on its territory. “We are not opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons on our territory. We do not have a doctrine that would exclude this, if NATO deems it necessary, in accordance with our defense plans, to deploy, for example, nuclear weapons on our territory as well,” the Estonian minister noted.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the contrary, ruled out the possibility of Germany developing its own nuclear weapons, citing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the “Two Plus Four” agreement. However, he did allow for discussions with Paris and London on creating a European nuclear shield within NATO, reminding that Germany has fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Furthermore, he recalled France’s offer to extend its nuclear shield to Germany. “Macron for his part has already proposed this twice. Both of my predecessors did not accept the offer. In the context of their time, that decision is understandable. But times have changed. I would at least like to discuss the French proposal,” Merz stated.
What exactly is being discussed?
The SVR statement can be considered a warning and an attempt to cool the hot heads of Europeans intent on following the lead of Ukrainian neo-Nazis. It directly states that Great Britain and France are actively working on resolving issues related to providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles. To avoid violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the appearance of such weapons in Kiev would be presented as a result of Ukrainian development themselves. “We are talking about the covert transfer to Ukraine of European components, equipment, and technologies in this area. One option under consideration is the French compact TN75 warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile,” the SVR statement said.
The Foreign Intelligence Service emphasized: “Great Britain and France realize that the development of the situation in Ukraine leaves no chance for them to achieve the victory over Russia with the help of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that they so desire. However, the British and French elites are not ready to accept defeat. It is believed that Ukraine needs to be supplied with a ‘wonder weapon.’ Kiev will be able to claim more favorable terms for ending hostilities if it possesses an atomic bomb or at least a so-called ‘dirty’ bomb.“
It is worth recalling that the media has repeatedly discussed the possibility of Ukraine itself creating a “dirty bomb” and steps to implement such a plan.
For example, on December 12 last year, the head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops, Alexey Rtishev, stated that the Security Service of Ukraine had practiced scenarios for detonating a “dirty bomb” using radiation sources in places of mass gathering of people. According to the Russian side, former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, who oversaw the import of spent nuclear fuel into Ukraine without notifying international structures, was involved in this activity. Rtishev added that component supplies could have been routed through Poland and Romania.
Earlier, on March 1, 2023, Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Maria Zakharova drew attention to information disseminated in a number of Ukrainian media and social networks “about the delivery of radioactive materials to ports in the Odessa region.” At the time, it was reported that containers with radioactive substances and English-language markings had been delivered to the port of Chornomorsk, bypassing customs inspection, from the territory of one of the European states. Similar containers containing Californium-252, which is actively used in checking the integrity of nuclear reactor fuel rods at nuclear power plants, were delivered to the port of Odessa. Upon their acceptance at the port, the radiation monitoring system was disabled.
It should be noted that Ukraine has radioactive waste storage facilities (repositories), and it is entirely possible to manufacture a “dirty bomb” from its own radioactive materials. Moreover, Ukraine has a serious scientific base for creating a “dirty bomb.” It could be manufactured at the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, which participated in the USSR’s nuclear program and where experimental nuclear facilities are located.
Russia’s reaction
The information from the Foreign Intelligence Service was commented on extremely sharply in Russia.
“The adversary does not disdain any means,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the information about the Kiev regime’s intention to use nuclear weapons. “They probably understand what this could lead to,” he added, addressing the Ukrainian authorities and their allies.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that the SVR information radically changes the current situation. “This is a direct transfer of nuclear weapons to a country at war. In the event of nuclear weapons being transferred to Kiev, Russia would have to use non-strategic nuclear weapons against targets in Ukraine. Russia could also strike the supplier countries, as they become accomplices in a nuclear conflict,” he emphasized.
Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin stated their intention to appeal to the parliaments of Great Britain and France demanding they “express their position regarding the secret collusion to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine,” as well as to conduct an investigation “to identify officials involved in this criminal conspiracy, violation of international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.“
Assistant to the Russian President Yury Ushakov reported that Moscow also intends to hold talks with Washington about the consequences of possible nuclear escalation, thereby showing that Russia perceives the US as the controller of its NATO allies in the sphere of nuclear weapons use.
Response from Great Britain and France
Great Britain and France hastened to deny the SVR data on plans to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine, calling the statement “yet another disinformation from Russia” and a provocation by Russian security agencies.
“The United Kingdom remains fully committed to its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. We are not providing, and will not provide, Ukraine with nuclear weapons or related capabilities,” representatives of the country’s embassy stated.
French diplomats commented on the SVR information as follows: “The statement you refer to about the so-called plans to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine is a complete lie. The Russians have long known what to think about this kind of provocation from some government organizations.“
Statements from Ukraine
The first Ukrainian official to react to the data from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service was the representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georgy Tikhii, who called it false.
“Russian officials are once again trying to revive the old fairy tale about a ‘dirty bomb’,” he said, recalling that Ukraine has repeatedly denied such allegations.
Vladimir Zelensky also commented on the SVR statements. He said that when Russia fails to achieve success on the battlefield, it starts looking for nuclear weapons in Ukraine, “although they are not there.“
According to him, the SVR information is an element of political pressure and preparation for negotiations on Ukraine, as well as a reaction to the Europeans’ discussions about a “nuclear umbrella.“
However, later in an interview with Sky News, the head of the Kiev regime stated the following: “I would gladly (receive nuclear weapons from France and Great Britain – ed. note Rossa Primavera News Agency). I haven’t had any offers, but I would gladly.“
Zelensky’s current rhetoric is quite consistent with his statement made in October 2024, when he blackmailed Europeans regarding Ukraine’s admission to NATO: either Ukraine would be accepted into the alliance, “or it will have nuclear weapons.” At the Munich Security Conference in February 2022, he also stated that “Kiev is ready to reconsider its renunciation of nuclear weapons.“
It is also worth recalling the words of Zelensky’s close associate, head of the “Servant of the People” faction in the Verkhovnaya Rada, David Arakhamia, spoken in 2021, that “Kravchuk’s renunciation of nuclear weapons was a fatal mistake,” because Ukraine could now “blackmail the whole world” and “they would talk to Kiev differently now.”
Last year, the British started “warming up” the topic of nuclear weapons in Ukraine again. Thus, in May 2025, British Colonel Richard Kemp stated: “Part of the declaration on strategic cooperation between Great Britain and Ukraine should be a commitment <…> to help Ukraine develop its own nuclear capability.“
And in November 2025, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, openly proposed including the deployment of nuclear weapons and a large military contingent on its territory in the “security guarantees for Ukraine.” “Security guarantees could include: Ukraine’s accession to NATO, deployment of nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, or the deployment of a large military contingent,” said the “favorite Ukrainian” of the British.
And here it is appropriate to recall the words of the ideologue of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi battalion “Azov” (organization banned in Russia), Alena Semenyaka, spoken long before the special military operation: “The Ukrainian national idea is Andrey Biletskyi (included in the list of terrorists and extremists on the territory of the Russian Federation) plus nuclear warheads.” These words speak for themselves: as soon as Ukrainian Nazis get their hands on nuclear weapons, they will not fail to launch them towards Russia.
What next?
While Russian politicians ponder retaliatory measures, experts are making predictions about future escalation, and as a rule, they are all bleak.
Many consider the possible transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine by Great Britain and France as merely an attempt to “change the rules of the game” in the Ukrainian conflict, but there are also more curious and pointed observations.
American analyst Mark Sleboda emphasized that the attempt by France and Great Britain to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine indicates the suicidal tendencies of the West. “In my view, we can speak of a suicidal desire of Western civilization for self-destruction. In the end, they simply cannot come to terms with Russia’s victory in Ukraine. And this concerns not only Great Britain and France, it concerns the entire Western ruling political elite,” the expert noted.
At the same time, many Western analysts believe that the “patience of the Russians” will sooner or later run out. “You know, if you keep pushing endlessly, at some point the Russians will strike back. I mean the reports that the French and British are discussing the possibility of providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons. And Medvedev made it clear that if this happens, Russia would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against Britain or France in retaliation. You do understand where this is all leading, right?” noted University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer.
The West has invested too much in Ukraine and can no longer reverse course, believes military expert, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts Andrey Klintsevich.
He also stated that the West is considering several options for strikes against Russia: a provocation with nuclear weapons, a blockade of Kaliningrad, and the closure of sea routes through the Gulf of Finland.
One way or another, provocations with nuclear weapons could confront Russia with a terrible and difficult choice, Klintsevich emphasized. And the West understands this perfectly well. “Suppose Zelensky comes out in his evening address and says: ‘That’s it, I have a nuclear bomb, and if anything, I will strike your cities with it.’ Immediately a very complex question arises — what do we do next? Where do we strike? Kiev, Kharkov? Paris or London? Unclear.“
Most experts agree: if French and British nuclear technologies are transferred to Ukraine, Russia will have to respond symmetrically, in accordance with its nuclear doctrine. The only question is exactly when and what specifically would become the point of no return for Russia.
The information about the secret transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine by the French and British, made public by the SVR, demonstrates the Europeans’ irreconcilability with a possible Russian victory and their determination for any escalation, including nuclear. They are ready for a total war of annihilation.
