The CIA chief has revealed there was a “real risk” that Russia had used nuclear weapons at the start of the Ukraine war.
Bill Burns, head of the organization, said a sudden troop advance in the northeast of the country sparked fears.
Sir Richard Moore, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), also described the Russian leader as “‘deeply irresponsible’, the Telegraph information.
Mr Burns said: “There was a point in the fall of 2022 where I think there was a genuine risk of potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” Mr Burns said.
‘The president sent me to speak with our Russian counterpart, Sergei Naryshkin, at the end of 2022 to make very clear what the consequences of that kind of escalation would be, and we have remained very direct about that.
The head of the CIA has revealed that there was a “real risk” that Russia had used nuclear weapons at the start of the Ukraine war
British MI6 chief Richard Moore and US Central Intelligence Agency director Bill Burns
Some 34 percent of Russians – just over one in three – would definitely or probably support using the latest weapon in the conflict (file image)
“I don’t think we can afford to be intimidated by that sabre rattling or that intimidation, (but) we have to be aware of it.”
Speaking alongside Mr Burns, Sir Moore said: ‘There is only one party that talks about nuclear escalation and that is Putin.
“It is deeply irresponsible, but no one in the West will be intimidated by such thoughts or any other behaviour of the Russian state.”
In July it was revealed that around 34 percent of Russians (just over one in three) would definitely or probably support using the ultimate weapon in the conflict.
This figure is five percent higher than a year ago and the highest since Putin launched his illegal war against the sovereign state of Ukraine.
The Levada Center’s results show that 31 percent are definitely against the use of weapons, while 21 percent are probably against it.
The upward trend shows the success of Russian propagandists seeking to gain support for nuclear use.
Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during military exercises at an undisclosed location in Russia
Soldiers stand next to a Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missile parked along Tverskaya Street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow.
This comes after Ukraine suffered one of its darkest days after two ballistic missiles killed at least 51 people and injured 219, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The missiles hit a military training centre and a nearby hospital in a central region of Ukraine and Zelensky vowed that “Russian scum will pay for this” following the devastating attack.
The strike took place in the Poltava region, the president said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
It appeared to be one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Russian forces since the war began more than 900 days ago on February 24, 2022.
