BACKGROUNDER
No. 3753 | MARCH 13, 2023
MARGARET THATCHER CENTER FOR FREEDOM
This paper, in its entirety, can be found at http://report.heritage.org/bg3753
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The U.S. and Its Allies Must
Understand and Respond to
Russia’s Nuclear Threats
Robert Seely, MP, PhD, Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, and
Ted R. Bromund, PhD
Putin’s martyr complex risks emboldening
Russia to consider the use of nuclear and
chemical weaponsin the Ukraine war.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Russia redefined justifications for nuclear
weapons use in 2020,elevating concerns
that hysterical Russian rhetoric may result
in the use of nuclear weapons.
The U.S. and its allies must monitor
Russian nuclear activity and deter
Putinfrom using chemical, biological,or
nuclear weapons.
S
ince February 2022, when Russia invaded
Ukraine for the second time, Russia’s nuclear
threats have been stark and consistent. If the
war continues, Russia says, Ukraine and the West risk
escalation to nuclear conflict. The Russian state, Putin
and other Russian leaders argue, faces an existential
threat. In October, the Russian government released
pictures of President Putin overseeing a training
launch of both ballistic and cruise missiles as a part
of a major nuclear response.
In November, The New York Times reported that
Russia’s generals have discussed the potential use of
tactical nuclear weapons.
1
Russian military doctrine,
combined with Russian practice, statements from the
nation’s political leaders, and informed Western com-
mentary, can shed light on the seriousness of the threat of
Russian use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons.
