According to two senior administrative officials, in late 2022, the United States (U.S.) had begun rigorous preparations for a potential Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine. It would be the first nuclear attack since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Biden administration was extremely concerned that Russians might use tactical nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons on the battlefield.
CNN’s journalist Jim Sciutto first wrote about the U.S. concerns over possible Russian nuclear weapon use back in 2022, but as he mentions in his book “The Return of the Great Powers”, he will reveal exclusive details about planning for unforeseen situations as Biden’s administration grew increasingly concerned.
“This is what the conflict indicated to us… That’s what we believed, and I think it’s our right to rigorously prepare and do everything possible to prevent it from happening,” a senior official told CNN.
The potential Russian nuclear attack wasn’t indicated by just one indicator, but by a range of different indicators, analyses, and, most importantly, a series of highly sensitive intelligence data.
“The fear wasn’t just hypothetical; it was based on some information we gathered. We had to plan to be in the best possible position in case this unimaginable event actually occurred,” another official stated.
From late summer to fall 2022, the National Security Council convened a series of meetings to find a plan for unforeseen situations “in case there was a very clear indication that they would do something, attack with nuclear weapons or if they did, how we would respond, how we would try to prevent or deter it,” emphasized the official.
“I think many of us didn’t expect to spend a significant amount of time preparing for a scenario that a few years ago was believed to be from a bygone era,” he added.
Loss in Kherson as a potential trigger
Late summer 2022 was a bad period for Russian forces in Ukraine, as Ukrainians advanced towards Kherson – the largest city Russians had occupied since the beginning of the war.
The progress of Ukrainian forces was crucial because there was a danger of Russian units being surrounded. Therefore, within the Biden administration, there was a belief that such a catastrophic loss could be a “potential trigger” for the use of nuclear weapons.
“In Kherson at that time, there were increasing signs that Russian lines could collapse. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers were vulnerable,” the official noted, N1 writes.
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