Vladimir Putin ‘could launch nuclear attack on own state’ as excuse to fight Ukraine

Vladimir Putin could orchestrate a nuclear attack on his own state as part of a ‘false flag’ operation to continue fighting , a journalist has claimed. Speaking at a recent press conference in Moscow, the Russian president said he agreed with proposals for a 30-day ceasefire in , but “questions” about the agreement remain.

He said that any ceasefire must result in “an enduring peace and remove the root causes of this crisis”, but his comments have failed to impress Ukrainian President . He claimed that Putin is “afraid to say directly” to US President that he “wants to kill Ukrainians” and “wants to continue this war”, a sentiment with which journalist Robert Fox seems to agree.

Writing in the i newspaper, he shared his thoughts about the Kremlin’s aims in the besieged nation, saying that it wants to claim Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which are “partially conquered”, for .

Robert said: “This provides an obvious trip-wire for a nuclear incident, the design disguised as an accident. An attack on them could be deemed to be an attack on sovereign , triggering a tactical nuclear strike.

“Zaporizhzhia presents a specific risk of nuclear flare-up. It has the largest of ‘s dozen or so nuclear power plants – only four are still working – and is possibly the largest in Europe.

“Zaporizhzhia and several other nuclear facilities across , including Russian-occupied Crimea, could be the setting for a ‘false flag’ provocation – an incident triggered by one side’s saboteurs to then be blamed on the enemy.”

hit out at Putin’s remarks, saying they were “very predictable” and signal his attempt to “drag things out”. He added that Putin has “stolen years of peace” and “continues this war”.

The Ukrainian president’s remarks followed slightly more optimistic comments from Trump. He described Putin’s words as “promising”, encouraging the autocrat to “do the right thing” and agree to the ceasefire.

Newsweek reports that amidst this backdrop, also has roughly 5,580 nuclear warheads in total, with around 1,200 retired and about 4,380 stockpiled, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).

Since the launch of ‘s full-scale invasion of in 2022, Putin has increased his nuclear rhetoric, previously saying that he’d consider using atomic weapons in the event of an from any state using standard weapons.

In September 2024, Putin said they’d consider using the massively destructive weapons if the nation secured “reliable information” about the start of a large-scale launch of drones, missiles, or aircraft, reports the Guardian.

Speaking about the potential ceasefire, the Russian president claimed that supported the agreement as it’s currently at a disadvantage following Russian gains in the Kursk region.

He also suggested that would capitalise on the pause in fighting to rearm and mobilise, a claim which could also be directed at Putin.