Scary warning from NATO commander: Putin may use chemical weapons.

Former NATO commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon warned that Vladimir Putin's nuclear weapon threat is merely a bluff, but he could use deadly chemical weapons within weeks. The expert noted that the Kremlin's desperate efforts to regain control of the strategic Kursk region could push Putin towards large-scale chemical weapon use.

Highlighting the symbolic importance of the region for Russia, the chemical weapons expert stated that losing control of Kursk would be like "a dagger to Putin's heart." "Putin is completely shaken. He may have lost nearly 700,000 soldiers so far. With Ukraine launching a counter-offensive using American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles, he knows his forces in Kursk are vulnerable," he said.

Kiev carried out its first ATACMS strike this week, hitting a Russian military depot in Bryansk on the 1000th day of the war. Two days later, the attack with Britain's Storm Shadow missiles angered Moscow and led to the first intercontinental ballistic missile launch since the beginning of the war.

The former NATO commander described nuclear threats as "bluff and intimidation," adding that NATO intelligence and advanced weapon systems make it nearly impossible for the Kremlin to successfully carry out a tactical nuclear strike. However, he warned of the increasing chemical threat, stating, "The Russians are currently using the first chemical weapon called chloropicrin on an industrial scale in the East. If Putin replaces this chloropicrin with Novichok, which he used in Salisbury, thousands of people could die."

The expert also emphasized the significance of the struggle for Kursk, noting that Ukraine's ability to hold the region could shape the outcome of the war. "Whoever holds Kursk at Christmas will be in a favorable position for the expected Trump negotiations and ceasefire at the end of January next year," he said.