Vladimir Putin may indeed decide to use nuclear or any other weapons of mass destruction. And this threat should be taken seriously. At the same time, now even the very threats to do this, unfortunately, are already playing in favor of the Russian aggressor..

Philip Breedlove, former Commander-in-Chief of NATO Forces in Europe, said this during a conference at the Atlantic Council..

“He manages to keep us in the West even with his nuclear threats. We also fear the start of World War III. Although I think this war has already begun. Putin is intimidating us with these nuclear threats in order to have a free hand. He can commit war crimes and generally do whatever he pleases,” he said..

Anna Shelest, director of security programs at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, agreed that Russia today has the ability to launch any nuclear strike: both massive and more limited, tactical. In her opinion, if Moscow decides to use such weapons of mass destruction, it will most likely be a tactical strike.. And it will take place somewhere away from NATO borders in order to avoid the reaction of the alliance.

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“We were taught in military college that we want to contain the enemy, not let him hold us back.. That we should keep the initiative and not give it to the enemy. And Putin is now holding back nothing. He does whatever. We have to change that and take the initiative away,” Breedlove said..

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor agreed that Russian nuclear threats should not deter or limit the actions of the West. While the Russian nuclear threat should be taken seriously.

“But when it comes to genocide, we should not be restrained. We must do everything possible and give Ukraine any weapon to stop this genocide.. The limit is only a weapon of mass destruction. It's risky? Then we have to take that risk,” says Taylor.

Shelest emphasized that it takes more for a Russian nuclear strike than for Putin to simply press the " There is a complex chain of procedures. Therefore, there is hope that at some stage someone in Russia will not follow the order and will not launch missiles with nuclear warheads..

Recall that Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia, which launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, allegedly can use nuclear weapons in four cases..