International Peace Coalition Meeting: No, the Kremlin Is Not Bluffing

At the weekly internet meeting of the International Peace Coalition on May 10, several speakers brought up the recent provocative statements about defeating Russia coming from the UK, the US and France, as well as the announcement by the Russian Defense Ministry of an exercise to test the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons.

Col. Richard H. Black (ret.), former head of the U.S. Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon and a former Virginia State Senator, insisted that the Russian nuclear exercise is not saber-rattling, not a bluff. “It’s actually a reminder of a very cold reality … the West is playing a game of chicken on the world’s most dangerous nuclear playground,” he said. The U.S. sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022, which has damaged the entire European economy. Ukraine apparently orchestrated the terror attack on the Crocus City Hall concert in Moscow, this year. But these actions come from desperation. Today, “Ukraine’s lines are trembling”, he said, and “the White House knows that this is happening, but they will not permit this war to end before the November elections.” Black warned that “NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine” will be considered “legitimate targets” by Russia and could mean retaliation against NATO targets. That “may presage the outbreak of World War III.”

Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, opened his remarks by saying, “We have a situation where classic deterrence is failing. It’s failing because in order for deterrence to work, both sides have to take the threat of their imminent destruction seriously.” While Russia does takes the danger to its survival seriously, Ritter said, NATO and the United States do not. Russians leaders have warned that if the western alliance intervenes directly into Ukraine, Russia will “use all the means at its disposal in response”. But leading NATO nations have “deluded themselves into believing that Russia is bluffing, that Russia is a paper tiger.” From there, Ritter went on to show just how wrong their assessment is, and why.

Dr. Chandra Muzzaffar of Malaysia, President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), is a well known and highly respected voice in the Global South. At the IPC meeting, he pointed out that the West has not shared with its own people that the real intention of the Ukraine war is the annihilation of Russia. He stressed that the efforts of the IPC, which has been meeting consistently for the past year, have now become a major factor in the world strategic situation, adding “That we have sustained this dialogue for so long is a great achievement.” However, the danger is extreme, he noted: “I cannot think of a moment in our history when we have come as close to Armageddon, a total destruction. I think we are at that point. And we don’t have much time.”

These interventions are contained in a written report posted here (click on “Transcript”).