Although Putin’s threats of nuclear attack strike fear, evidence shows that it looks to be an angry response for Russia losing its momentum and a way to silence Ukraine’s resilience.
Despite Russia’s advances and mass destruction, Ukraine is still fighting valiantly. With Ukrainian forces taking back the city of Lyman and the Luhansk region, Putin is being forced to make a few decisions that have increased tensions with the U.S. and NATO again.
At this time, Russia’s threats of unleashing their tactical nuclear weapons is a way to turn the tide in their war and also send a message to the U.S. The other decision comes down to Russia’s low manpower in their military.
The possible nuclear weapons that Russia may use are smaller and more tactical. They are slighly less powerful than the bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II and are built to destory smaller cities. While this is a fear-provoking move, it may backfire on Russia. With Ukraine being Russia’s neighboring country, Russia could find itself in another radioactive wasteland similar to Chernobyl.
As for Russia’s troops, inexperienced soldiers are entering the battlefield. Due to Russia’s poor tactical plans and soldiers with little to no training, Ukraine has been able to fend off the invading forces.
These Russian soldiers that have been thrown into the fire also do not want to be there. Ukraine was able to pick up on phone calls that these soldiers made to family members within the country. In the phone calls, the soldiers share their displeasure in taking part in this war and that they were thrown in with no training.
Those phone calls, along with some war stories from the Russian soldiers in Ukraine, were published in a story from The New York Times. Explicit language warning.
Although Ukraine has turned the tide in the war for their country, Russia’s threats continue to be taken seriously by the West. In a video by C-Span, Biden says that the U.S. and its allies will “not be intimidated” and calls out Putin for putting up a fake front of a unified country. “America is fully prepared with our NATO allies to defend every single inch of NATO territory” added the president.
The U.S. will continue aiding Ukraine despite Russia’s constant threats. Paul Sonne from The Washington Post reported that on Tuesday, Oct. 3, President Biden gave an additional $625 million plus more weapons and supplies to the Ukrainian army. Biden has made it clear that the U.S. and NATO stand with Ukraine and will continue to aid them during their war for their country.