俄罗斯对乌克兰战争中的核威胁

NO.29 APRIL 2022 Introduction Russias Nuclear Threats in the War against Ukraine Consequences for the International Order,NATO and Germany Liviu Horovitz and Lydia Wachs Any conflict with a nuclear power like Russia carries the risk that nuclear weapons could be used,and President Vladimir Putin is aggressively exploiting such concerns.With its nuclear threats,the Kremlin is moving away from Russias doctrine that ascribes a protective role to its nuclear arsenal.In this way,Moscow aims not only to deter Western governments from providing more substantial support to Ukraine,but also to intimidate the Western public.However,as long as NATO does not inter-vene directly in Ukraine and the Russian regime does not feel existentially threat-ened,both intentional and unintentional nuclear use remain extremely unlikely.Nevertheless,Moscows nuclear threats still entail significant negative consequences.If Russia succeeds in using nuclear deterrence to shield an offensive conventional war,this could further destabilise Europe and the global security order.The Kremlin has given the war in Ukraine an explicit nuclear dimension through various actions and statements.First,Russia conducted a man