Russians begin preparing society for possible use of nukes: Zelensky

Kiev, Oct 8 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russian officials have started "preparing the society" for the possible use of nuclear weapons, but also added that "they are not ready to do it".

In an interview with the BBC at the President's Office in Kiev, Zelensky said on Friday: "They begin to prepare their society. That's very dangerous.

"They are not ready to do it, to use it. But they begin to communicate. They don't know whether they'll use or not use it. I think it's dangerous to even speak about it."

"What we see is that Russia's people in power like life and thus I think the risk of using nuclear weapons is not that definite as some experts say, because they understand that there is no turning back after using it, not only the history of their country, but themselves as personalities."

During the interview, the President also denied having called for strikes on Russia, claiming that an earlier remark had been "mistranslated".

"After that translation, they (the Russians) did things their way, the way that's useful to them, and began to retranslate it in other directions," he told the BBC

"You must use preventive kicks," Zelensky said, referring to sanctions, "not attacks".

He further stressed that action against Russia threats was needed now, as it posed a "risk for the whole planet".

Moscow, he claimed, had "made a step already" by occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear station which President Vladimir Putin is trying to turn into Russian property.

"The world can stop urgently the actions of Russian occupiers," Zelensky told the BBC.

"The world can implement the sanction package in such cases and do everything to make them leave the nuclear power plant."

Zelensky also said that Putin is not afraid of a possible nuclear strike but of his community, and his people.

"Because only those people are capable of replacing him now, to take away his power and give it to someone else," he explained.

Asked whether Putin could survive in an eventual Ukrainian win in the war, the Ukrainian leader said: "I don't care."