The leader of the largest nuclear power in the world, President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly warned the West that any attack on Russia may result in a nuclear reaction.

Will Vladimir Putin deploy nuclear weapons, how many of them does he control, and what kind of reaction might the US and the NATO military alliance make?

Will Russia Start Nuclear War?

How Vladimir Putin views the danger to the Russian state and his reign will have a big impact. Putin portrays the conflict in Ukraine as an existential conflict between his country and the West, which he claims is out to destroy Russia and seize control of its enormous natural resources.

When President Vladimir Putin indicated he would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, the West was forewarned that he was not playing a bluff. Despite the claims of some observers that Putin is bluffing, Washington takes him seriously.

With Vladimir Putin arguing that 18% of Ukraine is a part of Russia, there is more room for nuclear threats because any attack on these territories could be justified as an attack on Russia as a whole. According to Russian nuclear doctrine, a nuclear strike is permitted following conventional weapon aggression against the Russian Federation when the basic existence of the state is threatened.

Breaking the post-World War Two nuclear taboo would not necessarily change the tactical situation on the ground because many Russians reside in the Ukrainian area that Vladimir Putin has claimed as Russian, as per Reuters. A strategic nuclear attack utilizing weapons intended to destroy cities in the US, Europe, and Asia has not been asked for by a Russian official.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has suggested that Moscow think about launching a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon on Ukraine. Nuclear weapons that are employed on the battlefield for tactical purposes are known as tactical nuclear weapons. They are significantly less potent than the huge bombs required to destroy major cities like Moscow, Washington, or London.

Such weapons can be attached to missiles and fired from the surface of the earth, boats, or submarines. Additionally, they can be dropped from aircraft or set off by ground forces. Russia is equipped with long-range nuclear weapons that it could deploy in a direct fight with the US. However, researchers argued that its stockpiles of so-called tactical weapons, which have shorter ranges, are not.

Putin might instruct the covert preparation and tee up of a smaller tactical nuclear bomb for unexpected use. But the Russian president could also use a covert removal of weapons from storage to increase pressure without actually utilizing them. Some analysts predicted that Vladimir Putin would seek to terrify Western nations into reducing their backing for Ukraine by flashing his nuclear teeth and expecting US satellites to observe the activity, according to Al Jazeera via MSN.

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Where Putin Might Start to Use Nuclear Weapons?

Belgorod, Putin's largest submarine that is capable of carrying 'apocalypse' nuclear torpedoes, is currently underway, and there are rumors that a convoy carrying a nuclear unit is traveling through Russia.

And now, as his army keeps suffering humiliating losses, everyone around the world waits impatiently to see if Vladimir Putin would follow through on his warnings. Putin allegedly has the option of using a nuclear weapon on the border as a tremendous show of force, according to defense insiders.

Putin would need to locate a space large enough to set off the bomb without endangering his citizens, particularly those who have recently been welcomed as citizens of Russia. However, the daring move might make it crystal obvious to Ukraine and the West that he isn't scared to deploy nuclear weapons in the battle for the first time since the conclusion of World War II.

It is widely known the recent nuclear threats are referring primarily to smaller, tactical weapons geared for war use rather than big city-killing bombs, The Sun reported. However, according to defense insiders, Putin using a nuclear weapon in the Black Sea is a more realistic scenario. Putin could launch a weapon over the sea, which is surrounded by NATO members Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey in addition to Russia and Ukraine.

Other options include a direct nuclear weapon attack on Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. Other, less likely scenarios include a full-scale attack by Putin on Kyiv or possibly an attempt to target Western weaponry entering Ukraine from Poland.

And the West would probably react to all of these possibilities. It could be anything from a surprise attempt to terminate the war and broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow to a US nuclear assault on Russians. With the threat of a third World War looming, the nuclear threat puts humanity on the verge of one of the most perilous periods since the Cold War, News reported.

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