President Vladimir Putin says he will defend Russia's territory with every means at his disposal, and it's put the threat of nuclear war back into focus.
Despite the referendums being treated as a farce, treating parts of Ukraine as Russian territory could give Mr Putin the justification he needs to escalate his agenda.
The Federation of American Scientists — a nonprofit research and advocacy group — estimates Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, more than any other country .Russia's missiles can be fired from land, from submarines and from airplanes.As of early 2022, FAS estimates that Russia had a stockpile of approximately 4,477 nuclear warheads ready for use, assigned for long-range strategic launchers and shorter-range tactical nuclear forces.
Jessica Genauer, international relations lecturer at Flinders University, said the possibility of Russia using its nuclear weapons could not be discounted but it would be highly unlikely.
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