Russian official warns about growing risk of use of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The risks of using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are increasing due to growing global destabilization, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 11th meeting of security council secretaries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow, Patrushev ascribed the rise of the potential for conflict to the transformation of the world order -- the West is losing its influence but continues fighting for dominance.

"They (Western countries) are increasing their military capabilities at an accelerated pace, trying to dictate their conditions more and more aggressively to states dependent on them economically and politically while using a wide range of coercive tools including blackmail, the manipulation of public opinion and attempts at unconstitutional changes of power," he said.

NATO plays an important role in the set of Western tools used for preserving the dominance in world affairs, he added.

Patrushev pointed out that the US withdrew from several international treaties that were considered pillars of arms control, including the Open Skies Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which seriously undermined the arms control system.

"The risk of using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons is increasing. The militarization of outer space and cyberspace is being carried out at an accelerated pace," he said.

Meanwhile, the international formats established to prevent conflict are losing their authority due to betraying universal principles to please one group -- the "collective West," Patrushev said.

"The politicized approaches of Washington and Brussels devaluated and defeated the purpose of activities and work of many UN bodies," he said.

- Challenges for CIS countries

Patrushev called the war in Ukraine part of the Western fight for global dominance, pointing to the full, extensive support provided by the West to Kyiv.

He said that despite the unprecedented assistance, Ukraine has had no success on the battlefield and resorts to "terrorist attacks," including the killing of Russian citizens and striking of critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants (NPPs).

According to him, three Russian NPPs were repeatedly attacked over the past year -- Leningrad, Kalinin and Kursk.

The Russian "special military operation" in Ukraine also uncovered a major military biological program led by the US, he said.

"We regularly receive information about dangerous experiments conducted in the post-Soviet space by Western countries, primarily by Americans," he noted.

Patrushev also criticized the West for its double standards.

"Encouraging the crimes of the Kyiv regime, turning a blind eye to gross violations of laws and human rights in Moldova, they condemn Russia and Belarus, demand an investigation of the events in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and arbitrarily impose unilateral restrictive measures."

He warned that if the Moldovan authorities continue their current course of "rejection of sovereignty and national identity," the country may become “another victim of the Western colonialist policy."

Turning to the settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Patrushev said it will be possible when non-regional countries stop interfering.

"The actions of Western countries provoke the degradation of the situation in the region and contribute to the preservation of contradictions in it," he said.

Patrushev also said that the West is trying to influence the countries of Central Asia to separate them from Russia.

"We are talking here about bigger things than political pressure and economic blackmail from the West, including threats of secondary sanctions," he said.

Russia, which will assume the chairmanship of the CIS in 2024, will strive to strengthen integration between its members, he vowed.

"By doing so, we will contribute to the safe and stable development of our states," he said.