Russia 'more likely' to use nuclear weapons after facing 'military catastrophe' in Ukraine

12 September 2022, 19:10 | Updated: 12 September 2022, 21:23

Vladimir Putin is "more likely" to use nuclear weapons after facing a "military catastrophe" in Ukraine, a former US national security advisor has said.

Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr, John Bolton - who was an advisor to Donald Trump - said Putin's latest failure in Ukraine increased chances of him going to more extreme measures as part of the war.

"The ultimate question that's been posed a number of times over the past six months is 'would he use nuclear weapons?' and my view has been that it is extremely unlikely," Mr Bolton said.

"The only circumstances I could foresee where he would use battlefield or tactical nuclear weapons were if Russian troops were in retreat and heading back to the borders of Russia.

"We're not at that point after the most recent Ukraine offensive, but it's been a military catastrophe for the Russian army.

"I do think, to try and re-establish some aspect of a position of strength for the Russians, it does become somewhat more likely of a possible nuclear use.

"You can see it in part where they've attacked the electrical rig at Kharkiv in retaliation, harming civilians not military personnel.

"But something like that could be on Putin's mind."

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John Bolton speaks about performance of Russian military

While analysing the war, Mr Bolton said: "Just when you think you can't see any worse performance by the Russian military, they give it to you.

"They were not only caught totally by surprise by the Ukrainian offensive, but the chain of command completely collapsed, soldiers were slain, abandoning tanks and other equipment effectively running in the face of Ukrainian attack."

Russia earlier ordered troops to withdraw from Kharkiv in a massive retreat due to Ukrainian forces occupying territory twice the size of Greater London.

The Ministry of Defence said that Russia was also struggling to bring reinforcements forward to the front line in the south of Ukraine across the Dnipro river.

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The Russians tried to build an improvised bridge two weeks ago but it remains incomplete and Ukrainian artillery is battering other crossings to thwart Russian repairs to infrastructure.

Russia’s troops are being forced into 'emergency defensive actions', said the MoD, which added that the confidence of troops on the ground is 'likely to deteriorate further'.

On Sunday, President Zelenskyy posted a video of Ukrainian soldiers hoisting the national flag over Chkalovske, another town they reclaimed from the Russians in the counter-offensive.

The Ministry of Defence said on Twitter on Sunday: "Over the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have continued to make significant gains in the Kharkiv region.

"Russia has likely withdrawn units from the area, but fighting continues around the strategically important cities of Kupiansk and Izium."