Will Putin use nuclear weapons?

The first phase would target weapon-production facilities that supply Ukraine and are located in NATO countries, using long-range cruise missiles.

The second phase, according to Khodarenok, could include single or multiple missile launches with nuclear warheads.

“This may include nuclear detonations at high altitudes above enemy territory or strikes on uninhabited oceanic or land areas. The effect may be small or large, depending on the situation,” he told Gazeta.Ru.

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In the third phase, Russia could carry out a tactical nuclear strike on government buildings in Kyiv and use nuclear weapons to destroy parts of the Dnieper hydropower cascade and reservoirs.

“Let them think about that,” Vladimir Putin said on October 23, warning of a “serious, if not staggering” response to potential Tomahawk strikes on Russian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously emphasized that dialogue remains preferable to confrontation or war, even as he warned of the possibility of a massive response to attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.