Russia's Nuclear Deterrence System Has Been Broken: What This Means for Ukraine.

The Dangers of Russia's Nuclear Strategy

According to UATV: Oleh Posternak, head of the Center for Political Intelligence, has stated that Russia continues to wield nuclear threats as a coercive tool, while the global nuclear deterrence framework has reached a breaking point when it comes to the Kremlin. According to the expert, the deterrent mechanisms designed to restrain countries like Russia are now in a state of crisis. Posternak emphasized that Moscow repeatedly exploits these mechanisms, deploying them as part of information and psychological warfare campaigns.

Treaty Withdrawal and Nuclear Rhetoric

A key event underscoring this assessment was Russia’s withdrawal from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. This move, combined with a revision of the country’s nuclear doctrine, has sparked alarm across the international community. Posternak highlighted that Russia has demonstrated its unreliability, irrationality, and complete lack of control in the nuclear domain.

“Russia left the treaty on reducing strategic offensive arms, changed its nuclear doctrine, and showed that it is unreliable, inadequate, and absolutely unmanageable.” - Oleh Posternak

Furthermore, in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine attempted to liberate its occupied territories. Posternak argues that this rhetoric indicates “the Russian Federation will periodically resort to such talk as a psychological operation.” He also suggested that “it may later become known that Russia actually considered using tactical nuclear weapons.”

Currently, up to one-third of Russia’s population holds aggressive views toward Ukraine. Combined with nuclear threats, this creates additional security risks for the region. As a result, the international community faces the difficult task of developing effective responses to Russian actions that jeopardize global stability.

The situation surrounding Russia’s nuclear policy has raised serious concerns among international experts and governments, as the Kremlin’s aggressive rhetoric could escalate the conflict and introduce new challenges for global security. In an environment where nuclear threats are used as a pressure tactic, maintaining international dialogue and building mechanisms to curb further Russian aggression remain critical.