Russia might opt to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Russia is preparing to escalate attacks on Ukraine after concluding that negotiations for a peace deal have reached a dead end, according to three people close to the Kremlin. Russia is weighing an intensification of powerful conventional ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and infrastructure targets in other Ukrainian cities. The escalating spiral of strikes is leading a growing number of Russian officials to the conclusion that Putin could eventually opt to use tactical nuclear weapons as a last resort in Ukraine, according to the people close to the Kremlin. The risk that Putin would break a global taboo on the wartime use of nuclear weapons that has stood since the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 has long been a major concern of western officials.

The volume of chatter in Moscow from hawks advocating such a step has increased recently. Tactical nuclear weapons carry less powerful warheads and have a shorter range than strategic missiles, and are intended to influence a particular battlefield rather than devastate an entire city or country. Still, explosive yields can be enormous, with nuclear fallout contaminating large areas of land. Putin has repeatedly indulged in nuclear saber-rattling over the years to try to intimidate Ukraine’s western allies into reducing support for its defense.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Moscow on Tuesday for talks with Russian counterparts, though it’s unclear what they focused on. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the trip’s purpose was to warn Russia not to attack NATO countries, citing unnamed people briefed on the visit.