Key takeaways:
- Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian political figures have been discussing nuclear weapons with new urgency.
- Putin and his allies claim that their arsenal is strong and it should command more respect from the West than it does.
- Pro-war Russians have advocated using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine’s troops and political leaders—especially after the invasion of Kursk—and were critical when the Kremlin did not.
- Consequently, Putin is in a balancing act. He uses his nuclear arsenal as both leverage and blackmail against the West, but then he opens himself up to criticism from hardliners if he declines to use it.
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