The Georgian authorities have begun preparations for a potential nuclear war in light of the current “challenges” facing the region, according to the head of the country's State Security Service, Grigol Liluashvili.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the official stated that “the existing challenges do not exclude the use of nuclear weapons.” He stressed, however, that he was not suggesting that such weapons could be used against Georgia itself, but rather in the surrounding region. He did not elaborate as to which specific geopolitical challenges he was referring to.
Liluashvili noted that the government had developed “a special plan in the event of a nuclear war” according to which “for each department there is a scenario, and an action plan that will be involved.”
For example, Liluashvili stated that Georgia’s Health Ministry had already developed a list of medications that would be distributed among the population in the case of a nuclear conflict, and has also come up with an algorithm for emergency medical care for victims.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, we gained extensive experience in such work during the recent Covid-19 pandemic,” Liluashvili said.
He further noted that shelters would provide little help if Georgia were to become the target of a direct nuclear strike. Therefore, it is “necessary to pursue a moderate, pragmatic policy both within the country and abroad,” the official stated.
Liluashvili’s comments come amid reports that the US has conducted an underground explosion at a nuclear testing range in Nevada that reportedly also involved “chemical high-explosives and radiotracers,” according to a statement by the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration on Friday.
The underground test took place just hours after Russian lawmakers approved the withdrawal from the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, Moscow’s envoy to the UN in Vienna has stressed that Russia will remain committed to maintaining an unofficial moratorium on nuclear testing unless its hand is forced.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated earlier this month that Moscow would follow suit if the US were to resume nuclear testing as part of an attempt to modernize its arsenal.