Putin May Deploy Chemical Weapons In Ukraine – Officials Warn

Western officials have “serious concerns” that Vladimir Putin will resort to the use of chemical weapons as Russia’s military forces remain bogged down in Ukraine.

Despite the unanticipated success of Ukrainian forces in holding back Putin’s tank columns and maintaining a level of air defence, the Russian dictator shows no sign of letting up on his assault, said one official.

He is “burning through a lot of high-end kit” and taking significant numbers of casualties in his armed forces, raising fears that he may respond to Ukrainian resistance by escalating levels of violence or even deploying non-conventional weapons.

Asked whether this could include chemical weapons, a Western official said: “I think we’ve got good reason to be concerned about the possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because we’ve seen what has happened in other theatres – for example in Syria – partly because we see a bit of setting the scene for that in the sort of false flag claims that are coming out, and some other indications.

“It’s a serious concern for us.”

Putin’s desire to bring about a swift military breakthrough may be fuelled by what appear to be growing signs of discontent among the Russian population, many of whom are shocked by the decision to invade a country with which they have close ties and shocked by the scale of sanctions imposed in response.

While the impact of sanctions is so far believed to be on the level of “inconvenience rather than hardship”, it is a major psychological blow to ordinary Russians middle classes to see brands like McDonalds, Ikea and Apple pull out of their country and find their credit cards no longer working, said one Western official.

There are signs that an increasingly isolated Putin has miscalculated not only the willingness of Ukrainians to resist and the West to respond in a united way, but also the readiness of Russians to support his military adventure, particularly the young who are used to the material advances which have become part of everyday life since the 1980s.

“I think he didn’t understand the West,” said the official. “I’m not sure that he understood Russia. Of course some older Russians remember the 1980s with affection. But many cultural and media figures spoke out immediately and 1.2 million have now signed the No War petition, small scale protesting – 13,000 arrests so far.

“Many of those who are who are protesting are those with exposure to the West through culture, education or visits, and they know that the state is lying despite the crackdown on independent media.”Photo Credit: Getty