Russia’s military leadership recently discussed when and how Moscow might use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, information that has raised concerns in Washington and allied capitals, according to several senior U.S. officials cited by The New York Times.

President Vladimir Putin would not participate in these talks, which took place in the context of Russia’s increased nuclear rhetoric and failures on the battlefield.

But the fact that Russian military leaders held the meeting to discuss when and how Moscow might use nuclear weapons alarmed the Biden administration because it shows how frustrated Russian generals will be with frontline failures, suggesting that Putin’s veiled threats may not in simple words, the journalists of The New York Times note.

Information about these discussions was shared in the US administration in mid-October.

However, US officials have repeatedly said they see no evidence that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons.

CIA Director William J. Burns, however, said that Putin’s “potential desperation” to achieve victory in Ukraine and failures in the war could compel Russia to use such weapons of mass destruction.

How many tactical nuclear weapons would Russia have?

According to Pentagon estimates, Russia has up to 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons that are intended for use on the battlefield.

No tactical nuclear weapons have ever been used in combat, but such weapons can be mounted on missiles, launched from the air, or even in projectiles at relatively short ranges, rather than ballistic missiles that can travel thousands of kilometers to strike targets on other continents .

Tactical nuclear weapons have a lower yield and are designed to be used at shorter ranges than warheads on ICBMs.

Military experts say that the use of nuclear weapons – for the first time in more than 75 years – would fundamentally change the shape of war. While the destruction will depend on many factors, including the size of the weapon and the direction/force of the wind, even a small nuclear explosion could kill thousands of people and render parts of Ukraine uninhabitable, the New York Times writes.

NATO: If Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, it will have serious consequences

Recently, the head of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, sharply warned Russia: if it uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the consequences will be severe.

“There will be serious consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, any nuclear weapon. I won’t go into the exact details of how we would respond, but a nuclear strike would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. This means that a very important line has been crossed,” he said.

NATO’s secretary general also said the alliance would remain “very vigilant” in the coming weeks as Russia conducts nuclear drills.

Soltenberg made the remark as a NATO official said a Russian nuclear strike would “almost certainly” trigger a “physical response” from Ukraine’s allies and possibly NATO.

For his part, US President Joe Biden, who recently warned that the risk of “nuclear Armageddon” is at the highest level in the last 60 years, said in an interview with CNN that threats coming from Russia could lead to catastrophic “mistakes” . ” and “miscalculations,” though he declined to say exactly how the United States would respond if Putin deployed a tactical nuclear device on the battlefield in Ukraine.

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