Ex-KGB agent on Russia nuclear threats: 'Putin is not a suicide bomber' - Business Insider

• Putin's repeated atomic threats during the Ukraine warfare person raised alarm worldwide.
• But Jack Barsky, a erstwhile KGB agent, threw acold h2o connected the anticipation Putin would usage a nuke. 
• "Vladimir Putin is not a termination bomber. Vladimir Putin wants to live," Barsky told Insider.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made repeated atomic threats since helium ordered the Ukraine invasion, sparking backlash and concerns crossed the world. Putin could adjacent determine to onslaught Ukraine with a tactical atomic limb if helium gets hopeless enough, Western governments and apical Russia analysts person warned. 

But a erstwhile KGB cause is throwing acold h2o connected the worries that Putin — a KGB serviceman during the Cold War who is present highly almighty and reportedly a multibillionaire — would usage specified a devastating weapon. 

"During the Cold War, it was beauteous tense and we got beauteous adjacent to atomic warfare a mates of times. But the Soviet leaders were not suicidal. They didn't wanna die. This was guaranteed communal destruction. Vladimir Putin is not a termination bomber. Vladimir Putin wants to live," Jack Barsky, who served arsenic an undercover cause successful the US for the KGB during the past decennary of the Cold War, told Insider. 

Barsky, who was calved Albrecht Dittrich successful East Germany earlier getting recruited by the KGB, said that Putin mightiness beryllium a "maniac" but he's not suicidal.  

"He's inactive moving connected his legacy, and helium beauteous overmuch knows that if helium explodes a nuke — he's toast. That's not the benignant of bequest that he's funny in," Barsky said of Putin, adding, "Putin whitethorn unreal to beryllium precise spiritual due to the fact that helium wears a cross, and helium present goes to church. But he's a rational thinker. And for him to commencement thing that beauteous overmuch guarantees his demise is highly unlikely."

Barsky served during the aforesaid epoch astatine the KGB arsenic Putin and has interacted with 1 of the Russian leader's erstwhile KGB bosses, Oleg Kalubin. Barsky yet became a US national and consulted the FBI and NSA — offering insights connected the KGB — aft being exposed arsenic a erstwhile sleeper cause successful the 1990s.

Barsky besides questioned however the usage of a tactical atomic limb — whose explosive unit tin scope from accepted blasts to ones larger than the US's 1945 onslaught connected Hiroshima, Japan — would fundamentally alteration the warfare and payment Putin. 

"How bash you get much territory by exploding a nuke and sidesplitting a 100 1000 people?" Barsky said, going connected to accidental that specified an onslaught could backfire by besides exposing Russian troops to perchance deadly radiation.

Shortly aft the warfare began, Putin claimed to person placed Russia's atomic deterrent forces connected precocious alert. He's consistently made references to Russia's atomic arsenal, which is the largest successful the world, successful nationalist remarks connected the warfare connected Ukraine. "This is not a bluff," Putin said successful September aft making a veiled menace to employment atomic weapons portion vowing to support Russia's "territorial integrity."

Top Russian subject officials precocious had conversations connected the circumstances nether which Russia mightiness usage a tactical atomic limb successful Ukraine, according to caller reports citing caller US intelligence. But Putin was reportedly not progressive successful the discussions, and a study from CNN suggests that US officials are divided implicit the quality and aren't definite what to marque of it.

Some officials were rather alarmed by the quality and are disquieted astir the hopeless actions Russia mightiness instrumentality arsenic it becomes progressively frustrated successful Ukraine. But different officials judge that the quality whitethorn person been taken retired of discourse and isn't a motion that Russia is taking steps to usage specified a weapon, CNN said.

Putin successful precocious October besides tamped down the atomic rhetoric somewhat, suggesting utilizing specified a limb successful Ukraine would service nary purpose. "We spot nary request for that," Putin said successful remarks astatine a league attended by overseas argumentation experts, per the Associated Press, adding: "There is nary constituent successful that, neither political, nor military."

Top Russia and subject experts person besides assessed that determination is not an imminent risk of Putin employing a tactical atomic weapon, but person underscored that the Kremlin's threats should beryllium taken earnestly and that the hazard volition spell up arsenic Russian forces proceed to endure losses and Ukraine's forces recapture territory.