Former NSA Chief Says Putin Will Choose Cyber Warfare Before Nuclear Weapons

Former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2017, on Russian intelligence activities. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)  

The Hill: Putin to choose cyber warfare before nuclear weapons, former NSA chief says 

Retired Gen. Keith Alexander, the former National Security Agency director and head of U.S. Cyber Command, said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to continue using cyberattacks against Ukraine before using nuclear weapons. 

Alexander explained that although Russia hasn’t done significant damage so far on the cyber front, Putin is not prepared to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, as he knows doing so could pull the U.S. and other NATO countries into the war. 

“I think he will use [cyber] clearly before nuclear,” Alexander said. “If he uses nuclear, he’s dead,” he said, adding that “if [Putin] uses the nuclear option, I believe that will cause NATO to rethink [whether] they’re in or out.”

 “I think [Putin] recognizes that, and I think the administration made that clear,” he continued.  

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WNU Editor: Half of Ukraine does not have power right now. What is the point of launching cyber attacks against an infrastructure that does not have electricity?