Russia will only use nuclear weapons if its existence is threatened, says Kelin, ambassador to Britain

Andrei Kelin does not expect his nation to deploy such weapons in the war in Ukraine, he tells BBC, and rejects the idea of Putin attacking Britain with nuclear weapons if the war expands

The ambassador also said there were ‘no bodies on the street’ when asked about dead civilians discovered in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after Russian troops withdrew from the area

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Russian Ambassador to Britain, Andrei Kelin, appearing on a BBC political television programme on Sunday. Photo: BBC via AFP

Published: 8:48pm, 29 May 2022

Russia’s ambassador to Britain, Andrei Kelin, is not expecting his country to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, which experts believe could drag on for a long time.

According to Russian military rules, this would only happen when Russia’s existence is threatened, Kelin said in a BBC interview broadcast on Sunday.

“It has nothing to do with the current operation,” Kelin said. Moscow refers to its invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”.

Asked whether President Vladimir Putin would consider attacking Britain with nuclear weapons in case of an expansion of the war, the ambassador rejected this.

This, and other scenarios, had been publicly discussed on Russian state television several weeks ago.

Russian Ambassador to Britain, Andrei Kelin, with BBC journalist Clive Myrie. Photo: AFP

When shown evidence of Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine, Kelin repeatedly denied Moscow’s responsibility for them.

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