Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement of military rehearsals for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in response to NATO’s support of Ukraine is only the latest in a series of hints, statements, and threats from the Russian government intimating a willingness to “go nuclear.”

An officer of Russian National Guard Service guards the street to the Yars nuclear missile complex during the Victory Day Parade rehearsals on May 2, 2024, in Moscow. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
An officer of Russian National Guard Service guards the street to the Yars nuclear missile complex during the Victory Day Parade rehearsals on May 2, 2024, in Moscow. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)



