Leontyev on nuclear risk Zelenskyy, Biden and HIMARS

Oct 6, 2022

In Odnako, Mikhail Leontyev uses sarcasm to reject accusations against Russia, then presents Zelenskyy's call for preemptive action to prevent Russian nuclear use as a demand that NATO strike first. He notes Zelenskyy's subsequent assertion that he was misunderstood, while blaming Western nuclear-war coverage for the controversy. The segment quotes Biden's warning about the first direct nuclear-use threat since the Cuban missile crisis and uses a film insert and commentary to question his judgment. It then quotes Laura Cooper's assessment that supplied systems can reach most targets, including in Crimea, and interprets a hypothetical Washington-coordinated HIMARS attack as a greater escalation than the truck explosion. The conclusion portrays Zelenskyy as an irresponsible actor capable of influencing U.S. policy. These are Leontyev's interpretations; the broadcast does not establish a NATO strike decision or an actual HIMARS bridge attack.

The October 6 Lowy excerpt aired by Vremya shows Zelenskyy urging NATO to prevent Russian nuclear use through preemptive action rather than waiting for a strike. Leontyev's October 8 commentary interprets this as a demand to strike Russia first and notes Zelenskyy's assertion that he was misunderstood. The interpretation is attributed; no NATO attack decision is established.