The group argued about whether Russia should threaten the U.S. with nuclear war or by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile, among other suggestions.
A group of Russian officials who appeared on state television held an intense discussion on how best to show the U.S. the full extent of the threat Russia poses to its national security. The group, identified as a military expert, multiple political scientists and a member of the State Duma, argued over whether Russia should threaten the U.S. with nuclear war or by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile, among other suggestions. Julia Davis, a reporter with The Daily Beast, shared a clip of the exchange with English captions on Twitter on Tuesday. Newsweek was unable to confirm whether the state television discussion also took place on Tuesday. Since Ukraine was invaded in late February, the U.S. has drawn Russia’s ire over aid, including weapons, to Ukraine and packages of unprecedented sanctions against Russia. The full context surrounding the state television discussion was not immediately clear, but the clip began with a man, identified as military expert Alexei Leokov, saying that « Russia should get used to becoming an empire.
« Since we’re an empire, we should act like an empire », he said.
