Russian state TV pundits predict nuclear war: ‘we will go to heaven, they will croak’

Russia would launch a nuclear war on the West rather than accept defeat in Ukraine, some of the nation’s most prominent propagandists have said on state TV.

One of the panel even suggests it would not be so bad, because “we will go to heaven, and they will simply croak”.

In the clip, Margarita Simonyan, editor of state broadcaster RT, says: “Either we lose in Ukraine or the Third World War starts.

“I think World War Three is more realistic.

“Knowing us, knowing our leader, Vladimir Vladimirovch Putin, the most incredible outcome that all this will end with a nuclear strike seems more probable to me than the other course of events.

“To my horror, on one hand, on the other hand, with the understanding that it is what it is.”

A male panellist then responds: “But we will go to heaven, and they will simply croak.”

This is just the latest threat from Russia, after fellow propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, and Putin himself made veiled threats in the last 48 hours.

Yesterday (27 April) the Russian president promised a “lightning fast” response to any foreign intervention in the Ukraine war.

The US and UK have dismissed such rhetoric as empty threats, but there are fears that Putin may be pushed into a corner if Russia’s operation to take the Donbas continues to struggle in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.

Last week Russia successfully test-launched its latest nuclear missile Sarmat , with Putin boasting it can strike targets anywhere on earth and cannot be stopped by any current missile defences.