Russia's nuclear weapons are useless in the war against Ukraine – political scientist

German political scientist Andreas Umland argues in an article for Neue Zürcher Zeitung that Russia's nuclear arsenal does not guarantee victory in the war against Ukraine. He debunks the myth of inevitable nuclear deterrence, pointing to historical precedents and a global taboo on the use of such weapons. Umland calls on the West to overcome the fear of nuclear blackmail.

German political scientist Andreas Umland, in an analytical article for Neue Zürcher Zeitung, argues that Russia's nuclear arsenal does not guarantee victory in the war against Ukraine. He debunks the myth of inevitable nuclear deterrence, pointing out that neither Ukraine nor the West aims to capture Moscow, but only to liberate occupied territories, making the use of nuclear weapons pointless. Umland cites historical precedents: France's defeat in Algeria, the US collapse in Vietnam, and the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. He notes that since 1945, a strict taboo on the use of nuclear weapons has formed, and the arsenal serves only as a deterrent against existential threats. Ukrainian forces have already crossed Moscow's declared 'red lines,' including strikes deep into Russia and the operation in the Kursk region, without a nuclear response. Umland calls on Western leaders to overcome irrational fear of nuclear blackmail and base support for Ukraine on pragmatic calculation.

Russia's nuclear weapons are useless in the war against Ukraine – political scientist