Al Mauroni | 03.16.22

https://mwi.usma.edu/would-russia-use-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-in-ukraine/?fbclid=IwAR3nWzyHZO8Fj8SKmnWt6jbgH_3RsXZkYksasLL1x32p-33XsZabXD-tbvM

Recent nuclear saber rattling by Russian President Vladimir Putin is forcing the West to confront a question that even many national security professionals have been able to ignore for decades: Would Putin actually use tactical nuclear weapons? More specifically, would he order a tactical nuclear strike on Ukrainian military forces out of frustration that his military forces have failed to achieve their objectives? Assessing that possibility requires a reevaluation of certain assumptions that is long overdue.

Russian Nuclear Weapons, in Context

In the current context, Putin could view nuclear weapons use as necessary to ensure Russian national security interests are not derailed by overt Western military support to Ukrainian efforts—which would be in line withstated Russian doctrine. One course of action could be a so-called demonstration strike with a single low-yield nuclear detonation in Ukraine or over the Black Sea to serve as…