Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threat is classic performance of a playpen bully

Robert Fox28 February 2022
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When Vladimir Putin made his staged announcement on preparing his nuclear forces to his top military officials — they didn’t look much like a winning team.

In truth, defence minister Sergey Shoygu and the chief of defence forces General Valery Gerasimovm, who were given the task of putting them on “special alert”, looked downright glum.

Things are not going well on the ground in Ukraine for the Russian command.

The campaign, intended to be over in a few days, now looks set to last for weeks. None of the top six major city targets have been surrounded, let alone occupied. And the rouble has collapsed.

Announcements of changing the posture of the nuclear forces, and committing Belarus troops seem pretty desperate measures.

They carry a sinister implication. Russia has always contemplated the use of what they call tactical nuclear weapons — artillery shells and short-range rockets — on the battlefield.

Putin seems to be saying that if he is provoked by the West, he can always do really nasty things. It’s the classic performance of a playpen bully.

This means his use of chemical weapons, from chlorine to Novichok, cannot be ruled out.

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People wait to board an evacuaition train at Kyiv central train station
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Putin had no scruples about using such weaponry against Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal and Alexander Navalny. Russia allowed its ally, the Assad military, to use them in Syria.

The Russians now have to commit the bulk of their mobilised forces to regain momentum.

Once committed, there is no immediate, capable reserve.

It’s hard to imagine Putin then going for a general mobilisation in Russia, deluded as he is. Imagine the reaction on social media.

Young Russia seems to have already got the message about their leader.

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