Do Russia’s Nukes Actually Still Work?

Of course, I’d prefer not to find out, but I think it’s a worthy thought exercise to consider whether, based on what we know about Russian military corruption and shoddy maintenance, these things still function.

Licensed by the author from Envato Elements.

I’ve been thinking about this question for a while.

The US seems reluctant to push Russia too hard, too fast — always tiptoeing up to Putin’s so-called “red lines” before crossing them.

One of the central dilemmas in the Ukraine war is the US’s hesitation to let Ukraine fully engage, and a lot of that comes down to one thing: Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

Just last week, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Volodin, warned Western governments that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that Putin’s red lines are largely fantasy. He’s not suicidal.

But I will admit that I worry the West has crossed so many “red lines” at this point that Putin may feel obligated to respond eventually, lest he lose what he has left of political prestige at home.

But here’s a question we haven’t really tackled yet: do Russia’s nukes even work?