Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to heighten the alert status of his nuclear forces has raised fears in the U.S. that the war in Ukraine could lead to a devastating miscalculation, as well as spurred debate over the United States' own nuclear policies.
As of Monday morning, U.S. officials said they had seen no sign that Putin's order has been followed by significant changes in the Russian nuclear posture.
But officials and nuclear nonproliferation advocates alike are still warning that Putin's announcement is a dangerous escalation in the war he started last week in Ukraine.
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“It's my judgment that Putin's publicly announced statement that he was raising the alert levels yesterday was designed more to reinforce his earlier threats against those who might seek to intervene in his invasion against Ukraine from doing so, rather than to actually raise the alert levels to the point where they might actually be used,” Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told Military.com in a phone interview.
“Nonetheless, it's an extremely irresponsible and risky move that I think increases the risk of miscalculation and an escalation,” Kimball added.
In a televised statement Sunday, Putin ordered his military leadership to put nuclear deterrent forces on a “special regime of combat duty” in response to “aggressive statements” from the…
