Ukrainians want nuclear sword, shield and fire

Ukrainian citizens want nuclear weapons back, a study conducted by the Razumkov Centre said. The majority of the Ukrainian population support the idea of Ukraine being a nuclear power.

Ukrainian publication Zerkalo Nedeli said that despite the fact that the government clearly did not plan to implement such an idea, there is a demand for such a decision in the Ukrainian society.

• Nearly 48 percent of respondents said that they would like Ukraine to be protected with a nuclear shield;
• Fifrty-two percent believe that tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) will deter Russia;
• Almost 49 percent believe that TNW will deter other neighboring countries from possible hostile steps.

Tellingly, as much as 44.6 percent of respondents said that they had no concerns about a possibility for Ukrainian allies to turn their back on Kyiv.

Approximately a quarter of the polled were "against" the idea of nuclear Ukraine, and 30.4 percent found it difficult to answer the question because they could not choose between nuclear "fire, sword and shield" and the risk of losing support from the West. The idea of victory in the confrontation with Russia is still alive in the minds of the Ukrainian society.

According to the publication, people thus vote so out of desperation and fatigue against the backdrop of hostilities.

The Ukrainians believe that as long as NATO does not want to make Ukraine its member, nor does it give any real security guarantees, the move to deploy nuclear weapons in the country would be the most reasonable one. At the same time, there is a risk to lose the support of the West.

It is worthy of note that a petition demanding nuclear weapons for Ukraine has appeared on the website of the Ukrainian president.

An earlier petition on Zelensky's website contained a requirement not to use British depleted uranium munitions. The petition was posted shortly before the Russian strike on the warehouse in Khmilnyk that reportedly led to an increase in background radiation levels in the city and even in Poland.