Guerra de agressão da Rússia contra a Ucrânia: briefing do NYT

O briefing diário do New York Times sobre a guerra de agressão da Rússia contra a Ucrânia:

November 2, 2022

By Carole Landry Editor/Writer, Briefings Team

Welcome to the Russia-Ukraine War Briefing, your guide to the latest news and analysis about the conflict.

Russia rejoined the deal allowing grain exports from Ukraine, just days after pulling out. The U.S. accused North Korea of covertly shipping artillery shells to Russia. Russia is drastically cutting gas deliveries to Moldova, in an apparent bid to punish the country for supporting Ukraine. American-made advanced air defense systems, known as NASAMS, will arrive in Ukraine in the coming days. The systems have radar-guided missiles that can take down fighter jets, combat drones and cruise missiles. Get the latest updates here. Track the invasion with our maps.

Ukrainian troops removing the body of a Russian soldier in Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, in the Kharkiv region.Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times

Russian generals discussed tactical nukes

As Russian forces lost ground in recent weeks, senior Russian military leaders had conversations about when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to U.S. officials.

President Vladimir Putin was not a part of the conversations, according to intelligence reports that were circulated inside the U.S. government in mid-October, my colleagues Helene Cooper, Julian Barnes and Eric Schmitt report. But the discussions did set off alarm bells.

The discussions showed the frustration of Russian generals about their failures on the ground, and added context to Putin’s veiled threats to use nuclear weapons.

The new intelligence surfaced when Russia began pushing the unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine was planning to use a dirty bomb. U.S. officials expressed concern that Russia was laying the groundwork for a false flag operation, in which the detonation of a dirty bomb would be the pretext for a Russian response using a tactical nuclear weapon.

Late last month, the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, discussed the claims during two phone calls. Shoigu also spoke with his British, French and Turkish counterparts.

Biden administration officials and U.S. allies say the phone calls helped ease some of the nuclear tensions. Last week, Putin denied in a speech that Moscow was preparing to use a nuclear weapon, which further lowered the temperature, according to some of the officials.

“We see no need for that,” Putin said in his speech. “There is no point in that, neither political nor military.”

No tactical nuclear weapon has ever been used in combat. Such a weapon could be deployed in any number of ways, including by missile or artillery shell.

Russia conducted an annual military exercise last week testing nuclear-capable missiles, but U.S. officials say they have seen no evidence that the Russians are moving nuclear weapons into place or taking other tactical measures. But a top Kyiv official said that more than 400 fallout shelters were being readied in the capital to prepare for a possible nuclear attack.