Having read the article ‘Let’s help to defuse a nuclear war’ by Kevin Martin published on Oct 16, 2022, on IOL website, we were filled with desire to help the author do so and propose that we should start with telling people the truth.

Indeed, the situation in nuclear arms sphere has become more complicated in recent months. A risk of descent into a conflict between nuclear powers has been increasing and following the Western propaganda narrative, Mr. Martin accuses Russian President of ‘nuclear threats.’

Here’s the full quote of Vladimir Putin’s words of Sept 21, 2022: “They have even resorted to the nuclear blackmail. I am referring not only to the Western-encouraged shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which poses a threat of a nuclear disaster, but also to the statements made by some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO countries on the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction – nuclear weapons – against Russia. I would like to remind those who make such statements regarding Russia that our country has different types of weapons as well, and some of them are more modern than the weapons NATO countries have.”

So who’s threatening whom? It is clear from the above that Russia is merely responding to nuclear threats by Western politicians. Do we need to remind the author of ex-French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who, as long ago as Feb 25, said ‘Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance’? Why doesn’t he tell his readership about German Air Force chief Ingo Gerhartz who in June 2022 openly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Russia? Why does Mr.Martin fail to even mention British Elizabeth Truss who in August, while running for PM, publicly declared herself ready to use nukes against Russia? Why does the peace-loving author consider it acceptable?

Mr. Martin laments about ‘backsliding on nuclear weapons treaties’ yet conveniently omits mentioning who launched the process of dismantling the system of international security created after the Cold War. What country withdrew from the ABM Treaty back in June 2002 despite insistent calls by the international community not to do so? What country withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019 under a false pretext? What country unilaterally denounced the Open Skies Treaty in 2020? Here’s a hint – the US.

What Russia did in its turn was announcing a moratorium on the deployment of land-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles as long as US weapons of similar classes were not deployed, and invited Western colleagues to join it. Does it look like undermining nuclear security system?

Mr. Martin is worried that in addition to the present-day nuclear-armed nations, ‘many more could go nuclear if they choose to do so.’ Yes, apparently so, remember when Ukraine’s Zelensky on Feb 23, 2022, publicly allowed for the possibility of reconsidering the Budapest memorandum of 1994 and reacquiring nuclear weapons? We won’t comment on the risks emerging from the decision of the Kiev pro-Nazi regime to get a nuclear bomb, simply think that in early October 2022 he urged NATO to launch preemptive nuclear strikes against Russia.

Yes, this would not increase overall nuclear security, and neither would it happen if organization which pretentiously calls itself ‘Peace Action’ and the likes continue spreading propaganda, half-truths and biased views of the situation in this area.