Going Ballistic

What will Putin do when he's cornered like a rat?

There was a lot of significant news last week while I was preoccupied with my cats. Weird stuff happening in Iran, particularly. You may have seen much of it already, but I’ll do a round-the-world scan tomorrow be sure everyone is all caught up.

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Something desperate

In response to the news that the West will be sending tanks to Ukraine, reader Ben Septer asked, “[W]hen can we expect to see Russia do something desperate? I wouldn’t be surprised if they used tactical nukes if the Ukrainians had a major breakthrough.”

That’s the question, right? And we could broaden the definition of “something desperate.” Putin could escalate the war in many ways. Kremlin mouthpieces have threatened to invade NATO countries and incinerate Western capitals since February 24. Since the announcement of the plan to send Ukraine tanks, Vladimir Solovyov’s eyes have been swiveling round his head while he howls and foams like he needs an exorcist and threatens to nuke us. (If anyone wonders whether those tanks will really make a difference, Moscow’s reaction should answer that question.)

How seriously should we take this?