“We cannot rule out anything if Russia is on the verge of a catastrophic defeat,” which could provoke a collapse of the Russian front, army desertions, and protests in Moscow, he said, describing possible circumstances under which Putin might resort to the extreme measures. But as long as Russia maintains an advantage in the war, there is no possibility of using nuclear weapons. The use of strategic nuclear weapons is an unlikely scenario because it would “almost certainly” provoke a third world war. “He wants to live,” Lytvynenko said of Putin. Even in the event of a Russian defeat on the bat…