Putin will not dare to use nuclear weapons, his rhetoric is aimed at domestic audience

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

Analysts noted that Russian dictator's statements about nuclear weapons, in particular hypersonic warheads Avangard or intercontinental ballistic missiles Sarmat do not indicate Russia's preparation for their use.

ISW explained that Kremlin regularly uses nuclear rhetoric to demonstrate strength of far-right Russian community, which has accused Russian Defense Ministry of failing to take aggressive enough steps to support war in Ukraine and demand that the West reduce "escalating" aid to Ukraine and continue negotiations on Russian terms, hinting at the possibility of nuclear escalation.

Experts also added that after analyzing previous incidents in which Russian officials invoked nuclear weapons to influence Western and domestic audiences, they concluded that Kremlin officials would not dare to use nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

• On December 17, CIA said it saw no clear evidence of Russia's plans to use tactical nuclear weapons. Most likely, with its rhetoric, Russian Federation aims to intimidate the West and Ukraine. 

• On December 12 Zelenskyy noted that Putin is unlikely to use nuclear weapons, because he is very afraid of dying.