Professor Dmytro Adamsky, an expert on Russia’s nuclear strategy and security policy, told Foreign Affairs that the shift in thinking among Russian leaders in recent years, and the change in the language they usually use when talking about the country’s arsenal, has troubling implications.

“Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons has changed since the beginning of the invasion – and not in a comforting way,” he writes, as quoted by Sky News.

“The war further sharpened the strategic thinking of Russian leaders and normalized nuclear weapons in public consciousness. These complementary trends have consequences for Russia’s future behavior,” Adamsky believes.

The Russian expert explains that data from primary sources indicate that over the past year and a half, the Russian military has doubled down on the concept of deterrence strategy and is beginning to rely even more on the country’s nuclear arsenal in strategic planning.

While Western officials and commentators have decried the frequent nuclear threats from Vladimir Putin and his allies since the invasion of Ukraine, Professor Adamski suggests that these threats have helped change attitudes in Russia to the point that, for many, a nuclear strike is no longer “an unthinkable option “.

“This repeated belligerent nuclear rhetoric – both official and unofficial – has somewhat weakened the nuclear taboo, albeit unintentionally,” he says.

Commenting on the influence of public opinion on the actions of leaders, he said that now “the tail can wag the dog.”

“Several Russian defense chiefs and nuclear experts have been shocked by the intolerable recklessness of the Russian public toward nuclear weapons,” he writes.

These experts said that public sentiment does not accurately reflect the Kremlin’s position and is irresponsible because of its dangerous consequences.

Professor Adamski concludes that these changes in attitude can have a decisive effect on the actions of officials and operators who might otherwise refuse to follow orders if leaders were to order a nuclear attack.

“The new nuclear norm in Russia will most likely increase the obedience of operators in response to the escalation of nuclear orders from the Russian leadership. And if Russia faces civil-military instability, the chances of unauthorized use may increase,” the expert concludes.

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