Could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have nuclear consequences?
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authorisation of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has undermined confidence in the global order, with the war signalling a return to large-scale state-on-state conflict in Europe.
In seeking to overrun Ukrainian forces, Russia has suffered hundreds of casualties since first launching its assault on 24 February, with analysts suggesting President Putin miscalculated the defensive capabilities of Ukrainian forces and the extent of co-ordinated international resistance to his actions.
Giving credence to this view is President Putin’s summoning of the nuclear threat, with the former KGB spy ordering Russia’s nuclear forces to be on high alert, claiming the country has been provoked by NATO.