Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko commented on reports by Russian intelligence services claiming that London and Paris are considering the possibility of transferring nuclear weapons to Ukraine. In his assessment, the discussion is likely not about full delivery systems but about nuclear warheads.

He noted that British nuclear warheads are deployed on submarines and specifically adapted for them. According to Ishchenko, the United Kingdom does not produce surplus warheads, meaning that transferring them would also require handing over a submarine — which, in his view, would have no practical use in the Black Sea.

Regarding France, he said its nuclear warheads are adapted for Rafale fighter jets. In that case, Ukraine would need to receive those aircraft and train personnel to operate them, a process that would take considerable time.

Ishchenko emphasized that transferring a nuclear warhead without a delivery system is technically possible. However, he argued that such a device would not be able to strike Russia and could instead be detonated on Ukrainian territory, followed by accusations that Moscow had used nuclear weapons. He believes such a scenario would be easier to implement than launching a strike against Russia, but it would not change the course of the conflict and would trigger a retaliatory strike — potentially not limited to Ukraine alone.

According to Ishchenko, it would be simpler for the West to detonate a device in Ukraine and blame Russia. He suggested that such an explosion could occur in a Ukrainian city during a Russian missile and drone strike on defense industry facilities, creating grounds for an information campaign.

He argued that this could lead to efforts aimed at bringing the United States back into an anti-Russian coalition and securing a US nuclear umbrella for Europe. Under such protection, European countries could act more provocatively toward Russia, while Moscow would be forced to assess each subsequent move in terms of global nuclear confrontation.

In conclusion, Ishchenko stated that, in his view, a Western nuclear provocation against Russia on Ukrainian territory cannot be ruled out.