World War Iii ?

[Paul22118]

I heard a report on the radio this morning that the Russian foreign minister thinks there is a distinct possibility of the 'conflict' escalating into World War III. What do you think? Personally I see it as a very real possibility.

[Khandro]

It's an empty threat. Any country launching a nuclear weapon will be immediately annihilated themselves.

Putin doesn't have a 'button', he can authorise it, but the release & launch codes are with the military, there is a chain of command, & they can't ALL be mad. (Let us hope)

[Gromit]

WWWIII will be a nuclear war.
Mutually assured destruction means both parties would suffer devastating losses and no one would win. Which is why it is unlikely to happen.

[ToraToraTora]

Thankfully, unlikely, no one wins a Nuclear war.

[burlyshirley]

^ But do we think Putin cares ? He's demented enough to want to rule the whole world I think ! Time this despot was brought down to his knees.

[Gromit]

// Time this despot was brought down to his knees. //

Agreed, but a Nuclear War is not how to do it. The entire population of the UK would be killed.

[burlyshirley]

I don't want a nuclear war, I'm thinking something like sending in an elite force like the SAS or the equivalent. Obviously I don't know if this is possible (it probably isn't), but then I'm no expert in these things am I ?? I just want it all to end, it's getting too scary now. There seems to be no stopping him.

[Gromit]

Don’t you think that sending in the SAS to Russia to kill there leader would be seen as a declaration of war, and that they would lob a few cruise missiles our way?

Sadly, this dispute/war has nothing to do with us. We should assist in anyway we can to help Ukraine, but not put our own country at risk in the process.

[ToraToraTora]

shirley, he may not care but the guys that actually have to fire the missiles probably would. They'd realise it's suicide.

[Khandro]

//I'm thinking something like sending in an elite force like the SAS or the equivalent.//

They're already there, you can be certain of that.

[Ken4155]

Nothing but scare-mongering from the Russian foreign minister.

[10ClarionSt]

Wasn't there a situation back in the 1980's where a Russian commander in charge of a launch site received orders to launch the missiles at the U.S.? He didn't follow his orders as he thought it was an error, which turned out to be true.

But that was an error. Would the same thing happen in the current climate?

[burlyshirley]

10:00 Do you think so Khandro ?

[burlyshirley]

Gromit - I did make a point of saying that I am no expert in these things ...

[Gromit]

// They're [the SAS] already there [in Russia], you can be certain of that. //

Crazy.

[ichkeria]

No stopping Putin?
Why do we think that?
He has failed to take any major Ukrainian city other than Kherson which will probably be counterattacked in the coming days. He has made minimal progress in Donbas and probably now will face heavy weaponry in the weeks to come.
He’s made enemies of the Russians in Ukraine who did support him, bolstered NATO, will probably see Sweden and Finland join, destroyed much of his army and further wounded his economy
The danger always is he will lash out in desperation but he has in a sense already done that.
We cannot afford to succumb to these threats and we will not

[ichkeria]

I think Khandro may be right about the SAS. They go places we don’t know about
I hope he is right. They’d only go if there was minimal to zero chance of capture tho

[davebro]

I doubt the SAS is in Russia. I think the West (through NATO or otherwise) should consider raising a volunteer force fully equipped to go support the Ukrainians. (existing serving soldiers not excluded)

[sandra4444]

Have you all not noticed, whenever the Russians start losing in certain areas, or are having big difficulties achieving their goals, they bring out the nuclear threat card.

Its always an indication of how bad they are doing.

[ichkeria]

There already is an international regiment organised, rightly, by Ukraine.
CNN occasionally interviews one of its American soldiers

[ichkeria]

My view, which is only that, is that onky an actual Nato invasion of Russian territory would seriously risk a nuclear war with strategic weapons.