Podcast: Belarus and nuclear escalation

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[15]In Episode 167 [16] of the CounterVortex podcast [17], Bill Weinberg examines Putin's plans to place tactical nuclear weapons [18] in Belarus. The Russian strongman's dubious justification for the move is the UK's decision to supply depleted uranium [19] shells to Ukraine. Depleted uranium is indeed sinister stuff [20]—but Russia itself has been already using [21] DU weapons in Ukraine for over a year now! Russia's reckless occupation [22] of the Zaporizhzhia [23] power plant also represents a far more serious escalation on the ladder of nuclear terror than the use of DU. Putin further claims he is merely countering the NATO tactical nuclear weapons [24] stationed in Europe. But NATO's warheads are stored in underground vaults, to be loaded onto plane-dropped gravity bombs if the Alliance makes a decision for their use. In contrast, Moscow has already placed [25] nuclear-capable tactical missiles in Belarus—as well as [26] in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad [27], bordering NATO members Poland and Lithuania. If these were armed with warheads, it would represent a dramatic escalation in hair-trigger readiness. Additionally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has now broached [28] actually having Russian strategic ICBMs placed in his country. The civil opposition [29] in Belarus has been effectively crushed in a wave of mass repression [30] over the past three years—but an underground resistance movement [31] is now emerging. This struggle finds itself on the frontline of the very question of human survival. Listen on SoundCloud [16] or via Patreon [32]. (Map via PCL Map Collection [33])

In Episode 167 [16] of the CounterVortex podcast [17], Bill Weinberg examines Putin's plans to place tactical nuclear weapons [18] in Belarus. The Russian strongman's dubious justification for the move is the UK's decision to supply depleted uranium [19] shells to Ukraine. Depleted uranium is indeed sinister stuff [20]—but Russia itself has been already using [21] DU weapons in Ukraine for over a year now! Russia's reckless occupation [22] of the Zaporizhzhia [23] power plant also represents a far more serious escalation on the ladder of nuclear terror than the use of DU. Putin further claims he is merely countering the NATO tactical nuclear weapons [24] stationed in Europe. But NATO's warheads are stored in underground vaults, to be loaded onto plane-dropped gravity bombs if the Alliance makes a decision for their use. In contrast, Moscow has already placed [25] nuclear-capable tactical missiles in Belarus—as well as in [26] the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad [27], bordering NATO members Poland and Lithuania. If these were armed with warheads, it would represent a dramatic escalation in hair-trigger readiness. Additionally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has now broached [28] actually having Russian strategic ICBMs placed in his country. The civil opposition [29] in Belarus has been effectively crushed in a wave of mass repression [30] over the past three years—but an underground resistance movement [31] is now emerging. This struggle finds itself on the frontline of the very question of human survival. Listen on SoundCloud [16] or via Patreon [32].

Production by Chris Rywalt [34]

See how a nuclear blast would impact your city on the NukeMap [35] webpage.

Book discussed: The Breakdown of Nations [36] by Leopold Kohr [37], Routledge, 1957

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