Nuclear fears fade: Three years since post predicted Ukraine war

Nuclear antiestéticars fade: Three years since post predicted Ukraine war

In January 2022, a message on a Spanish economic forum described an apocalyptic scenario: three US nuclear missiles in Ukraine aimed at Moscow, DEFCON 2 status, and a Pilingui ready for anything if NATO did not provide written guarantees by January 3. Signed with a pseudonym and wrapped in "this is fiction," the text anticipated the Russian invasion by one month. Three years later, the war continues, but strategic nuclear exchange has not occurred. The discussion generated by that message illustrates how data, rumors, and catastrophism mix in economic forums when geopolitics enters the scene.

The initial thesis: Missiles 470 kilometers from Moscow

The original message, published in the Economy subforum, claimed that **the US had placed three nuclear missiles in Ukraine** directed at Moscow, not yet operational, and that Russia had its entire arsenal on maximum alert. It set the DEFCON level at 3 or 4 according to civilian sources, and asserted that within the NSA, the status was DEFCON 2 heading toward 1. The text calculated that the missiles would be about **470 kilometers from Moscow**, providing a five-minute reaction time. It also ensured that Spain would receive **eight 50-kiloton warheads**, while those made of "exotic" material would go to Russia. All this was seasoned with the warning that if Russia retreated any further, it would fall off the cliff of blackmail.

The author of the message, who signed with an email address and ended with a number, insisted it was an opinion and fiction. But the narrative contained specific details: the date of January 2, 2022, as the deadline for Pilingui to receive security guarantees, and the threat that on January 3 they would do what they had to do. That deadline was not met exactly, but the invasion arrived on February 24.

Responses: From skepticism to gas theory

The reaction was not unanimous. Some messages ridiculed the idea that Russia would allow NATO missiles in Ukraine: "Russia would have knocked them down without delay," said one, adding that Russian response time is five to seven minutes, so it would never let such a possibility materialize. Another participant was blunt: "Nothing will happen. NO-THING." A third pointed out that the bicho and climate change are already boring, and this new option would last "for about twenty chapters."

Some sought an economic explanation: **Russia has an ace up its sleeve called gas**. If Europe starts getting cold and there are power cuts in the center of the continent, the standoff would resolve without open war. This line of analysis gained weight over the months, although conventional war broke out anyway. Mass purchases of military equipment by several countries were also mentioned as a sign that "something is brewing."

February 24 and the Russian drill

The initial message was published weeks before the invasion. The thread mentions a **nationwide evacuation drill across the Russian Federation**, with a blackout in Moscow lasting more than an hour and citizens going down to nuclear shelters. This detail, which could not be independently verified, was presented as a sign that the Russian military machine was preparing for something big. The invasion came a month later, but without the nuclear scenario described in the message.

Three years later, a final message in the thread summarizes the situation: "Three years later we can say he was wrong, or at least strategic attacks haven't started; it is possible some tactical nuclear weapon has been used in Ukraine." According to that same message, the original author disappeared from the forum and never wrote again in that thread or others on similar topics.

DEFCON as a thermometer of antiestéticar

One participant linked a website tracking DEFCON levels, which showed 3 at the time. This indicator, measuring US military alertness, became the center of discussion: the initial message assured that the NSA was at DEFCON 2, while public sources said 3. The discrepancy was not resolved, but served to illustrate how official sources and rumors mix during times of tension.

The conversation drifted to other topics: the possibility of the war spreading to the Baltic states, the idea that NATO seeks war with Russia to access natural resources, and the theory that elites want to reduce the world population. These arguments appear in the thread without supporting data, presented as opinions or suspicions.

What remains: A war without nuclear apocalypse

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, one month after the initial message gave the January 2 deadline. The scenario of nuclear missiles in Ukraine aimed at Moscow has not been confirmed. The war has been conventional, with episodes of nuclear tension around the Zaporizhzhia plant and verbal threats, but without the antiestéticared strategic exchange. The thread, with its 29 replies, is a document of how the prelude to the conflict was lived in a Spanish economic forum: a mix of information, rumor, and catastrophism, with some accurate analysis regarding the role of gas and deterrence.

Was it just imagination, or did antiestéticar anticipate what was to come? The author made it clear: "If by chance something like the above is happening, has peine, or happens, it is pure coincidence." Three years later, the coincidence remains unconfirmed.