Originally Posted by
tartare
I think that's exactly what they're doing.
Making quite sure the west can see that they're all heading to the Urals.
It's pure, straight up intimidation.
But I also think it's serious... it's a linear path - what's the next step?
You sit down in the subsequent meeting, discuss your options, in the full knowledge that GCHQ and the NSA are listening.
Perhaps someone is authorised to `leak' to western media the contents of some of those discussions.
Many further steps follow, before we get just one small warhead moved from a storage area, and mated to a delivery system.
I know both sides monitor each others weapons.
But would they pick up the SIGINT or ELINT of just one weapon being moved?
If it hasn’t happened yet, the Western Allies need to “leak” an indication that severe dire (not just financial) consequences would follow Russian use of tactical nukes. No matter what Russian tactics might be. Putin is using this threat of nuclear war as an umbrella to protect his actions in Eastern Europe and the more times it works, the more we can expect him to continue, at the risk of countries beyond Ukraine. It’s time to stop this monster.