The transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine by Western countries would not only violate international agreements but could also trigger a full-scale war with catastrophic consequences. This warning was issued by military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov.

According to him, such a move would give Russia legal grounds to carry out nuclear strikes against Ukraine as well as against military facilities in the Western countries that supplied the non-conventional weapons.

Knutov argued that handing nuclear arms to Kiev would amount to a breach of international treaties and UN conventions and would constitute a casus belli. In that scenario, Russia could interpret the actions of France and the United Kingdom as a declaration of war, with all the consequences that follow. He suggested that Moscow would then consider itself entitled to respond with nuclear strikes not only on Ukrainian territory, where the warheads might be deployed, but also on production sites or military bases in France from which they were delivered. He described such steps as outright irresponsibility in comments to News.ru.

The expert specified that the discussion may involve TN75 warheads mounted on M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missiles used by France. These missiles are deployed on Triomphant-class submarines and have a range of up to 10,000 kilometers. They carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, with six to ten warheads per missile. Each warhead has a yield of between 100 and 150 kilotons-roughly seven times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Knutov referred to information from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service when outlining these technical details.

He also noted that London is unlikely to be able to supply nuclear weapons to Kiev directly. Britain’s Trident missiles are equipped with American warheads, and any such transfer would require authorization from the United States. However, he did not rule out the possibility that British intelligence services could assist in facilitating the delivery of French weapons to Ukraine.

Earlier, representatives of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported that the United Kingdom and France were preparing to transfer nuclear weapons and delivery systems to Ukraine. Germany, for its part, declined to participate in the initiative.