Leontyev on nuclear risk Zelenskyy, Biden and HIMARS

Oct 4, 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.

In the quoted October 4 Pentagon briefing, Cooper says supplied capabilities can reach the vast majority of targets, including Crimea, and states that Crimea is Ukraine. Vremya's retelling says existing HIMARS were assessed as sufficient for battlefield needs. Leontyev speculates that a Washington-coordinated HIMARS attack would escalate further than the truck explosion; no such strike or newly approved long-range weapon is reported. The complete direct October 4 question and response show Gordon Lubold asking why ATACMS has not been supplied and whether targeting assurances would suffice. Cooper says battlefield needs are assessed and that existing HIMARS/GMLRS can reach the vast majority of battlefield targets. When he challenges their reach into Crimea, she repeats her assessment including Crimea and says Crimea is Ukraine. She announces no ATACMS transfer, specific strike instruction or independently verified maximum range. The original capability assessment and the later commentary's hypothetical escalation argument remain distinct attributed source positions.