Russian ambassador to UK denies Moscow will use nukes: 'Out of the question'

Amid rising fears of a nuclear escalation in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, at least one Russian official has expressed confidence that such an event will not occur.

"Russia is not going to use nukes... it is out of the question," Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin said, before noting that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had spoken to all of the country's ambassadors to assure them that the military was not considering such a strike.

Fears of a nuclear disaster have persisted throughout the conflict. Prior to their withdrawal from Kyiv, Muscovite forces occupied the Chernobyl nuclear site, prompting demands for the military to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to send inspectors and ensure the radiological situation in the region did not deteriorate. In the South, a similar situation is ongoing amid the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

In recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated rhetoric about Moscow's prospective use of its nuclear arsenal while also warning that Ukraine plans to deploy a "dirty bomb." Such a device is a conventional explosive paired with radioactive material. It does not trigger a nuclear reaction, but rather disperses radioactive material throughout the area of impact, contaminating the target region. Such a weapon serves primarily to deny enemy access to an area and cause panic rather than inflict casualties directly.

He went on to assert that the Western backing of Kyiv was merely staving off the collapse of the Ukrainian government and that a prolonged war in the country would lead to a catastrophe.

"At the moment Ukraine is merely a failed state but it is living on the Western donations... on Western money and on Western weapons," Kelin said. He further asserted that Western support was pushing Ukraine to continue the fight instead of pursuing negotiations with Moscow.

He further blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the breakdown in ceasefire negotiations but asserted that "negotiations are possible."