Moscow on edge: Trump’s shift to support Kyiv sends Kremlin into panic mode as nuclear fears rise
In a dramatic turn of events, Moscow finds itself in panic mode as former President Donald Trump pivots to support Kyiv, shocking Russian elites who can no longer conceal their anxiety.
The Russian capital is reeling from the sudden shift in American administration's stance on Russia and Ukraine. Trump's decision to significantly ramp up arms supplies to Kyiv has created a whirlwind in Moscow. Rumors that Ukraine might soon possess missiles capable of striking Russia's capital have sent shock waves among Russians, prompting nuclear threats. Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian state owned Russia Today (RT), declared that giving Ukraine long-range missiles would lead to a "nuclear ultimatum" from Russia.
Russian propagandists have resorted to desperate threats, with Simonyan writing on Telegram that the world stands on the brink of nuclear escalation and that if Moscow is hit, Russia will have "no choice."
Trump's reversal has been a painful blow to the Kremlin. Until the last moment, Moscow hoped that he would stand as an obstacle to the supply of offensive weapons to Ukraine. However, according to Axios, after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 3, Trump finalized the decision to provide Kyiv with long-range missiles that would, for the first time, render Russia's capital vulnerable.
Russian pro-war channels and state media have almost synchronously heralded the breakdown of any negotiations. Propagandists rushed to warn of a new level of warfare: military blogger Kirill Fedorov wrote, "the peace deal is dead." The Russian newspaper "Moskovsky Komsomolets" acknowledged that strikes on Russian decision-making centers could provide a pretext for the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
The Telegram channel "Veteran's Notes" suggested retaliatory strikes on NATO countries' factories. This barrage of statements reveals not strength but a nervous confusion among Russian authorities, who realize their threats may this time remain ineffective.
Simonyan does not hide Russia's fear: that if missiles are supplied, Kyiv would gain the capability to respond to Moscow with the same tactics used to terrorize Ukrainian cities for over two years. Her message carries a distinct tone of hysteria: "Nothing happened when the world saw footage of bombs burning Tel Aviv. Moscow won't happen either. Or so they think."
American journalists note that unlike President Joe Biden's team, Trump seems less inclined to yield to Russian threats. He has openly stated that he understands Putin's rhetoric: "Nice talks by day, bombings by night."
Thus, the Kremlin faces a new reality: its blackmail tactics no longer halt arms supplies, and its nuclear threats echo like a faint attempt to mask fear. Now even Moscow's residents may truly understand what war means.