Zakharova's open mic gaffe exposes Russia's strategic silence
During a lengthy briefing broadcast live, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova received a phone call and was instructed not to comment on reports of an intercontinental ballistic missile attack on Ukraine. She is now clarifying the situation, and experts agree that Zakharova delivered an outstanding performance.
Zakharova either forgot or intentionally did not switch off the microphones when she answered the phone. Although she lowered the volume, it wasn't sufficient to prevent the microphones from picking up the conversation. Journalists present and viewers watching the live broadcast on the Foreign Ministry's website heard Zakharova receive instructions not to comment on the morning attack on Ukraine.
"Masha" was supposed to remain silent. Zakharova's staged performance
"Masha [Maria], ballistic missile strikes on Yuzhmash [defence plant in Dnipro]. The Westerners are talking about it now. Don’t comment at all," Zakharova was told, before she started flipping through documents and returned to the briefing.
On Thursday, Ukraine's Air Forces reported that in the morning attack on Ukraine, Russia used, among other things, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), launched from Russia's Astrakhan region. Such a missile is capable of carrying nuclear payloads, and its range is up to 6,000 kilometres. The missile landed near the city of Dnipro in the southeastern part of Ukraine.
Caller described as "god-like level"
A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry told the TASS agency that "the received call was from a specialist." - Prior to the briefing, there were questions related to conflicting materials on the internet. I consulted experts to determine if it was relevant to our interests. The response arrived during the briefing – the Foreign Ministry does not comment on it. Thus, there's no intrigue here - stated Zakharova. When asked by "The Insider" who this expert was, the official replied that the caller was "on a god-like level."
Why would Russia undertake such a significant political gesture as an ICBM strike and then remain silent about it? According to Marek Budzisz, an analyst at the Strategy&Future think tank, there is not a hint of coincidence in Zakharova's accidentally recorded phone conversation.
"In such matters, there are no accidents. It's a normal element of nuclear strategy – it involves maintaining what is known as strategic ambiguity. The aim is for the adversary to remain uncertain about what precisely has occurred and what the other side is capable of doing. This enhances deterrence power," explains the expert, adding: "Nuclear issues are such that each party involved in this escalation game takes steps that are unclear and hard to interpret. This way, one builds an advantage as an unpredictable entity."
