What makes it possible for Putin to demonstrate restraint in instrumentalizing nuclear weapons for political purposes is his apparent confidence in the failure of the Ukrainian offensive and the erosion of Western support for Ukraine. He may, however, be as misinformed about the strength of Russian defensive positions as he is about the progress in the modernization of the nuclear arsenal.
Baev, Pavel K. (2023) Putin uses Valdai Club to repeat nuclear bluff, Eurasia Daily Monitor (1–2). 10 October.
