Russia’s Nuclear Weapons: Deterrence Crucial

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has responded to the recent Ukrainian victories in two ways. First, he has called for a “partial” mobilization to create new and larger forces drawn more broadly from Russia to replace the routed dregs of society composing his original invasion force. This mobilization could pose a serious threat to Ukraine in the long run. But, as it will take some time to adequately train and equip this new army, it is unlikely to be of much use in stanching the current Ukrainian advances. He is therefore floating a second, more potent threat: to use tactical nuclear weapons to “defend” whatever Ukrainian territory he chooses to redefine as Russian through a process of fraudulent referendums and annexations.

In short, Putin has announced that unless the West allows him to take whatever he wants, he will unleash nuclear war. This demand is unacceptable.

About the Author

Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer and the author of twelve books, most recently The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet.

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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has responded to the recent Ukrainian victories in two ways. First, he has called for a “partial” mobilization to create new and larger forces drawn more broadly from Russia to replace the routed dregs of society composing his original invasion force. This mobilization could pose a serious threat to Ukraine in the long run. But, as it will take some time to adequately train and equip this new army, it is unlikely to be of much use in stanching the current Ukrainian advances. He is therefore floating a second, more potent threat: to use tactical nuclear weapons to “defend” whatever Ukrainian territory he chooses to redefine as Russian through a process of fraudulent referendums and annexations.

In short, Putin has announced that unless the West allows him to take whatever he wants, he will unleash nuclear war. This demand is unacceptable.