A question about Putin

[PJMcK]

Reports indicate that Putin has become increasingly isolated and has surrounded himself with sycophants and cronies. (Sounds like Trump.) The reports also hint that Putin has become more and more paranoid as events have developed that are contrary to his plans. There's talk that some of Putin's enabling oligarchs are becoming uneasy with the war and the effects that sanctions are taking on their fortunes and businesses. Likewise with some military leaders (although this seems to be anecdotal).

If Putin sees everything collapsing around him, if he feels backed into a corner with fewer and fewer options available to him, would he decide that his last chance is to go nuclear?

History has plenty of examples of leaders crashing at the end of their rule. This is my greatest fear right now.

[Walleye]

1. As a general rule, brutal dictators do not die of old age peacefully in their bed

[gab13by13]

2. He won't go nuclear,

he will do what he has done in the past. He will try to reduce Ukraine to rubble and then he will claim he destroyed the neo-Nazis, mission accomplished.

[58Sunliner]

3. I personally don't think he will go nuclear. That long table says it all.

He is afraid of those around him and knows that his support is getting weaker. His great army isn't so great due to corruption, and the saber rattling is cover for the ineptitude of the military.

[dalton99a]

4. Eventually he'll blame his generals and die of unexplained causes

[LaMouffette]

5. Does the US have the cyber capabilities to disable Russia's nukes? Maybe this is the time to do so.

I've seen news reports that foreign nations have been probing our nuclear systems, so I assume we've been doing the same to Russia.

I'm just an armchair general here, but if we disabled their nukes, then we could bring down the military force of all NATO upon Russia without the fear of a nuclear exchange.

Of course, doing so would almost certainly unleash a massive cyber war between the US and Russia, so the question would be: Which country has better cyber warfare capabilities?

[relayerbob]

12. We may be able to get to some of it, but not likely all of it

For what it may be worth, given their obvious ineptitude, they still have the nuclear triad in place, and a LOT of nukes. As far as cyber warfare, I would imagine we would be heads and tails better than anyone, if we chose to use it. But it's not clear how much of Russia is really connected in to the web.

[LaMouffette]

15. Good point you make. It would make sense that through planning or through not keeping up with the

times that some of their nukes would not be vulnerable to cyber attacks.

[Emrys]

6. He may give the order.

It depends on what others do then along the chain of command.

They may not have the same appetite for suicide and annihilation he does.

[mitch96]

7. " He may give the order." During the Cuban missile crisis a Russian sub captain refused to use

his Nuclear torpedo on Americans avoiding a HUGE conflict. Let's hope cooler heads prevail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Arkhipov

Macron of France said it best when talking to putin..."We have Nukes too"...
Nobody wins in a nuclear war... Even the Military Industrial Complex that Eisenhower warned us about........ will loose. ........
m

[Emrys]

9. That's the sort of situation I had in mind.

Let's hope we never need to test its repeat.

[Happy Hoosier]

8. I'm trying to imagine a scenario...

... where Putin orders a nuclear strike of any kind and the Russian General Staff agrees to it.

At a guess, I doubt any of them would want to sign the death warrants of their kids and grandkids, even if Putin would be willing to sacrifice his own daughters.

They must realize that "going nuclear" would mean the end.

[LuckyCharms]

10. I think there is a possibility...

and I say that only because I think he is losing/has lost his mind.

[Donkees]

11. 'Putin mysteriously falls out window and no one knows how or why'

[themaguffin]

13. That is my biggest concern

[fightforfreedom]

14. A guy who is terrified of catching covid will not start a nuclear war.

Just my opinion.