WI: Terrorist Attacks Performed by Russian Agents Instead of Al-Qaeda?

This. Literally the only thing that could stop it would be Russia immediately handing over responsible parties without question or argument.

This is only way avoid WW3. Putin probably can show that he was totally unaware about this. Not way that Putin would accept such idiotic thing to happen.
 

Minniehh

Banned
There is no way anyone would start a muclear exchange over it. If it was a failed false flag Putin and Russia would frame the agents as rogues and hang a few FSB leaders. Offer compensation to victims families. The usual spiel. US would go for sanctions and blockades. No one would or could believe Russians really did something that idiotic. This is akin to punching the Queen of England in the face when meeting her.
 
If this had happened, and Putin had avoided war by throwing almost everyone involved under the bus and turning them over to the US the world would be back in a situation similar to the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Such would be the distrust on both sides that the various nuclear launch systems would be on a hair trigger for years.
 
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