Ukraine Is Close To Crossing Putin’s Biggest Red Line

(ConservativeSense.com) – Experts are warning that President Biden’s decision to sanction Kyiv’s use of US-made munitions inside Russia has crossed Vladimir Putin’s red lines. In light of Moscow’s advances on the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with the US President to permit attacks on Russian territory, prompting the Biden administration to change course and give the go-ahead to strike back with American rockets, but only in defense of Kharkiv.

Russia responded with fury and promised “fatal consequences.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Medvedev even warned that the decision brought the world closer to nuclear war. He said the development meant the United States was “participating in the war against us,” which he considered a casus belli – or act of war.

Medvedev quickly added that the West underestimated Russia and its willingness to use tactical nuclear weapons. These are designed for battlefield use, as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons, which are intended for attacks on cities or regions far from the fighting front. Tactical nuclear weapons do not cause widespread Hiroshima-like destruction or nuclear fallout but do devastate specific and defined enemy targets. They can take the form of short-range missiles, artillery shells, or torpedoes.

In May, Russia intensified its attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, opening a new northeastern front in the war. In response, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers that America would exercise flexibility and take an “adapt and adjust” approach to ensure Ukraine had what it needed to defend the city.

Despite Russian threats of escalation, however, some observers say the Kremlin does not want an all-out war with the West. Nicolò Fasola, author of Reinterpreting Russia’s Strategic Culture: The Russian Way of War, said Moscow is as “scared as we are of escalation,” which is why several prior warnings from the Kremlin have not materialized. Others believe that Russia may strike NATO logistics operations in Ukraine but will not attack the West inside its borders.