Putin's running out of military options. Read my latest Fox News Opinion piece on nuclear threats, Russia's call-up of reserve forces, and why the recapture of Izyum was so significant. Remember Putin has made nuclear threats before. The Pentagon says the Russian forces that handle nuclear weapons have not change their posture -- which means Putin's not getting ready to release a nuke.
Detonating a Russian nuclear weapon will not win the war in Ukraine for Putin. Don’t forget China is already nervous about Russia’s military failures; use of a nuclear weapon by Putin could break up China’s vital energy purchases and isolate Russia even more.
The bottom line is that Ukraine’s success is closing off Putin’s options. More troops won’t fix Russia’s almost-insurmountable tactical problems such as poor command and control, an inability to maneuver, no air superiority, and high losses of helicopters and unmanned drones, to name a few. If this is Putin’s next great plan, we are seeing again that Putin is no military genius.