How Serious Is Putin’s Threat to Use Nuclear Weapons?

A distinctive feature of Russian military policy is an express willingness to introduce nuclear weapons into an otherwise conventional war. That helps explain why President Vladimir Putin’s saber-rattling about his nuclear arsenal since launching war on Ukraine in February 2022 has been so worrisome. He’s explicitly warned that intervention by NATO troops could trigger a launch of strategic nuclear weapons by Russia on US and European territory.

Also of concern is Russia’s distinctive posture on so-called tactical, or nonstrategic, nuclear weapons. In May, Putin ordered Russia’s military to carry out combat drills involving these lower-yield weapons, ramping up his confrontation with the West just a day before his inauguration for a fifth term.