tactical nuclear weapon

“The last thing you want is a North Korean tactical nuclear weapon turning up in Iran, for instance.”

Bob Woodward reported in his recent book, War, that, in late September 2022, seven months into the conflict, the U.S. received “highly sensitive, credible” intelligence, based on “conversations inside the Kremlin,” that “Putin was seriously considering using a tactical nuclear weapon” as a way to reverse Ukraine’s battlefield successes at the time.

In late September 2022, he writes, “new highly sensitive credible” intelligence—again, based on “conversations inside the Kremlin”—showed that Putin “was seriously considering using a tactical nuclear weapon” to avoid a major Russian defeat on the battlefield.

Ukraine’s darkest fear is a Russian attack with a tactical nuclear weapon, a saber that Putin and other officials rattle from time to time.

Washington said the decision showed Moscow's disregard for arms control, and U.S. officials have warned that Russia could use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, a suggestion that Putin has played down.