- Chilling threat was made on Russian state TV by army general Andrey Gurulev
A Russian MP and military veteran has revealed a plan to paralyse the European continent in one hit by striking the Netherlands with a nuclear bomb.
The chilling threat was made on Russian state TV by Lt. Gen Andrey Gurulev - a hardline MP in Vladimir Putin's 'United Russia' party - in a discussion with leading propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.
He told Russian state TV a nuclear strike would flood the country by destroying its dams and dykes.
'Somewhere between 50 to 60 per cent of Europe's hydrocarbon supply is in Holland,' Gurulev declared. 'Imagine, in Holland, on the coast. The military calls this a fat target.…
'We understand perfectly well how to inflict critically unacceptable damage to bring Europe to its knees.'
The MP's nuclear sabre-rattling comes days after the Netherlands said it would allow the Ukrainian air force to use its 24 F-16 fighter jets to carry out strikes in Russia.
Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev, 56, returned to Russian TV after 6 months absence, proposed dropping a nuclear bomb on the Netherlands to bring Europe to its knees
Gurulev told Russian state TV a nuclear strike would flood the Netherlands by destroying its dams and dykes
The MP's nuclear sabre-rattling comes days after the Netherlands said it would allow the Ukrainian air force to use its 24 F-16 fighter jets to carry out strikes in Russia (Royal Netherlands Air Force F16 fighter jet is pictured)
A Yars intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile is fired during a training, from Plesetsk cosmodrome in Northern Arkhangelsk region, Russia, in this still image taken from video released March 1, 2024
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tilvar speak to the media at the European F-16 training centre inside the 86th Romanian airbase in Fetesti, Romania, as the Netherlands delivered three F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine, April 17, 2024
Lt-Gen Gurulev said: 'This is a matter of one day. With minimal consumption of nuclear weapons. Not only that they will blow away all the oil refining, Holland will be blown away.
'The dams there will come down at once, the whole thing… it's going to be flooded.'
He boasted to Putin propagandist Solovyov: 'I'm telling you 100 per cent that after that everything will be completely dead in Europe.'
But Gurulev said two normal nuclear weapons would dispose of Holland.
'One may be shot down, the second will fly. That will be enough.'
He made clear that such a strike on The Netherlands was in the 'target catalogue' of the Russian military machine.
The trigger-happy general was making his comeback on propaganda TV after an unexplained six month absence.
Solovyov said: 'Let me remind you that Holland is the same country that allowed Ukraine to use F-16s… in our airspace.'
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren confirmed last week in an interview with Politico that the Netherlands' F-16 will indeed be offered to the Ukrainian air force with no limits on how they are used in the war effort.
Ollongren said there was not a 'Belgian-style restriction', referring to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's warning that Kyiv will not fly the F-16 jets that come from Belgium into Russian airspace.
Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev, 56
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force, but is in use with militaries worldwide
A Ukrainian military stands with people next to F-16 fighter jets during an inspection visit of Ukraine's President to Belgium in an agreement to help Kyiv battle Russia's invasion, at the Melsbroek military airport in Steenokkerzeel, north-east of Brussels on May 28, 2024
In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, May 17, 2024, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher is seen during a military exercise in Russia
'We are applying the same principle that we have applied to every other delivery of capabilities, which is once we hand it over to Ukraine, it's theirs to use,' said Ollongren.
'We only ask them to comply to international law and the right to self-defence as stated in the UN Charter, which means they use it to target the military goals they need to target in their self-defence,' Ollongren added.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multi-role fighter jet originally developed for the United States Air Force, but is in use with militaries around the world.
Although Russia's air defences still present a considerable threat to the F-16, the jets nonetheless are seen as vital for Ukraine's air force whose aged fleet has struggled to match the prowess of more capable and modern Russian aircraft.
At the beginning of 2022, Ukraine had 71 Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters, 14 Su-24M bombers, and 31 Su-25 attack aircraft, according to the annual Military Balance report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
But Kyiv is now thought to have less than 78 combat capable aircraft following losses and difficulties with maintenance.
The F-16s would undoubtedly provide a welcome boost to Ukraine's aerial capabilities, but experts have warned they will require far more maintenance and are more 'sensitive' than the Soviet jets Ukrainian pilots are used to flying.
