"A hair-raising moment": Trump orders nuclear submarine crews after Medvedev's statement
This most likely refers to the "Ohio" class submarines equipped with "Tomahawk" missiles
Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump
On the evening of August 1st, the quarrel between Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev and current U.S. president Donald Trump on social networks unexpectedly extended from the virtual space to reality. More precisely, it extended underwater.
The White House occupant announced on his "Truth Social" platform that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be deployed to "the corresponding areas." He did this in response to "Medvedev's provocative statements" to prevent them from being "just words."
"He talked about nuclear weapons. And when it comes to nuclear weapons, we must be prepared — and we are fully prepared," the U.S. president told reporters, also mentioning that Medvedev was not only a former president but also the vice-chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council. However, Trump did not reveal where the submarines were specifically sent, only saying "they are closer to Russia."
Ordering the deployment of two nuclear submarines armed with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads is no longer a joke. Obviously, both Russia and the West have been stirred up.
The British Daily Telegraph called Trump's move "the first step in the nuclear escalation ladder." The newspaper referred to this decision as a landmark, hair-raising moment, walking the tightrope on the brink of nuclear war. The article mentioned that even during the Cold War, "no U.S. president had publicly ordered nuclear submarines to head towards Russian waters."
Background of the incident
It all started last Thursday, when Donald Trump suddenly changed the ultimatum he had issued to Russia regarding an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Initially, he gave 50 days for the resolution of the armed conflict, but on July 28th, he announced that he had changed his mind and gave both sides 10-12 days to reach a ceasefire. Afterward, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, John Kelly, clarified the deadline: 10 days, no more. That is, until August 8th.
The Kremlin responded very calmly to Trump's strict statements — whether regarding the first or the second ultimatum — trying not to bring this complex issue into the public arena. This made Trump very dissatisfied, so he began threatening to increase sanctions against Russia.
In response, Dmitry Medvedev, known for his sharp remarks towards Western politicians, posted on the X social platform, criticizing the American leader's ultimatum to Russia. "Firstly, Russia is not Israel, nor even Iran. Secondly, each new ultimatum is a threat, a step toward war. Moreover, it is not a war between Russia and Ukraine, but a war with your own country. Don't follow the path of 'Sleepy Joe'!" Medvedev suggested.
After that, Trump got angry. "Tell Medvedev, this former Russian president who doesn't deserve his title, who still thinks he is the head of state, to keep his mouth shut. He is stepping into a very dangerous area!" he wrote on his "Truth Social" platform.
Medvedev did not back down either. "If certain statements by a former Russian president can cause such a tense reaction from such a dignified U.S. president, it means Russia is completely right and will continue to go its own way," he wrote on his Telegram channel, suggesting that Trump should recall the movies he likes about "zombies" and how dangerous the "Dead Hand" that does not exist in nature could be.
It should be noted that in the West, "Dead Hand" refers to Russia's "Perimeter" nuclear strike command system.
Few people expected Trump to react again. But he did, and now the whole world is guessing where the U.S. president has sent the submarines.
"From the Norwegian Sea to Kamchatka"
The New York Times pointed out that the movement of nuclear submarines is one of the most secret tactical operations of the Pentagon (and not just the Pentagon — note from Freedom News). "It is unlikely that we can know whether Mr. Trump actually moved the submarines or just wanted to exert political pressure. But in Trump's sudden and continuously escalating confrontation with Russia over the Ukraine issue, he has mentioned the U.S. nuclear arsenal for the first time, let alone threatened to use it...
Even for Trump, this open nuclear deterrence is not common. His last clear nuclear threat to Kim Jong-un was at the beginning of his first term in 2018. At that time, he said his "nuclear button" was much bigger and stronger than Kim Jong-un's.
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Russia in Global Politics," stated, "Trump himself runs the social media account, so his reaction is emotional, human, and spontaneous. I think the U.S. military and navy would be very surprised to see this. If this verbal exchange continues and Trump continues to get involved, he will probably have to take some concrete actions eventually."
The State Duma also reacted. Svetlana Zurova, first deputy chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, admitted, "We are always surprised by Trump." Deputy Boris Chernesov and Yaroslav Nilot reminded that Russia is ready to respond, while Mikhail Matveyev called for valuing the opportunity to restart relations between the two countries after Trump took office.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon refused to disclose details after Trump made his statement about the submarines: "In this regard, we rely on the statements of the White House and the president."
However, most political experts remind that there are multiple nuclear submarines from six countries active simultaneously in the world's oceans. In this case, the two submarines mentioned by Trump may not be significant at all.
At the same time, military expert and retired naval captain Vasily Dandykin speculated that American submarines might appear in these places: "It can only be the Arctic and the Pacific, possibly near Kamchatka or the Komandorsky Islands, as there were reports that they wanted to buy these places. Considering the situation in Crimea, they might also be sent to the Mediterranean. The range of Tomahawk missiles is 2500 kilometers."
The "Military Observer" channel speculated: "Possibly in the Atlantic and Pacific regions." While the "Medvedev. Peak Chronicle" channel proposed the hypothesis that Trump's order might mean "approaching the missile launch areas: it is highly likely that it is Ohio-class submarines equipped with Trident II D5 ballistic missiles or Tomahawk cruise missiles. The main possible areas are the Norwegian Sea, where the U.S. likes to demonstrate its strength."
The risk is higher in the Barents Sea or the Baltic Sea, which are closer to key targets in northern Russia.
Military expert Alexei Ampilov said a more detailed analysis: "Among the remaining 10 Ohio-class nuclear submarines in the U.S., several are on combat duty along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. At least one submarine from the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet of Russia is also on duty in the corresponding areas of the world's oceans, ensuring the ability to quickly launch intercontinental ballistic missiles."
This expert added: "Both sides are well aware of all the 'corresponding' patrol areas of Russian and American nuclear submarines. These areas are used to 'maximize the counteraction against the activities of potential enemy missile submarines.' The two submarines in question were most likely sent to those conventional combat patrol areas."
Major General of the Russian Armed Forces Reserve, professor at the Higher School of Economics, and member of the PIR Center Board of Directors Evgeny Buzin斯基 has his own opinion: "This is again Trump's gimmick. He just amuses himself like this. I doubt he really sends anything anywhere. U.S. nuclear submarines have their own combat patrol areas, usually in the Atlantic and Pacific. I think they rarely go to the Indian Ocean. They currently have 14 submarines, generally four on combat patrol missions. Adding more wouldn't make much sense... As far as I know, they don't often operate under the ice, which is our privilege and pleasure. So I think it's just a gimmick."
Meanwhile, the United Nations said to TASS that they had no comments on Trump's statement about deploying nuclear submarines.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533873914288685622/
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