Introduction
The article is based on why Russia is likely to use nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. Kazanias points out that the more cutting-edge Western weapons arrive in Kyiv, the longer the battle in Ukraine lasts (Kazanias, 2022). As a result, the article suggests that Vladimir Putin could be forced to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, regardless of what emerges from it. The fact that Putin invaded Ukraine raises questions over how logical of an actor he truly is.
Discussion
Understanding why Putin may consider using tactical nuclear weapons calls for establishing the idea of where he believes his position is in the battle. While the Western media enjoys extolling Ukraine’s recent wins, the truth is that both parties have suffered heavy casualties. According to Kazanias (2022), Kyiv is only succeeding on one front because of millions of dollars of US military hardware, along with the intelligence provided to battle Russia in real-time. This puts Washington at war with Russia, while all they are doing is employing the warriors from Kyiv to fight and die in that battle. Moreover, the Biden administration has participated in one of the biggest military mission creep jumps in American history, which has only made problems worse. In one instance, President Biden declared that to pay for the Ukraine invasion, Putin had to be removed from power. Consequently, such a series of events put more pressure on Russia, especially their president, Putin Vladimir, thus, making the nuclear war threats real and credible. Therefore, the article suggests that the Biden administration, along with other Westerners, should call for a possible ceasefire.
The article has a close relationship to the aspect of civil rights. As a democratic state in Europe, Ukraine has a responsibility to secure and enhance its residents’ human rights as part of its national civil rights policy. However, as Kazanias (2022) suggests, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has, over the months, left the two parties suffering heavy casualties, such as unlawful killings of thousands of people and massive destruction of properties, thus, depriving the citizens of the right to life. In addition, other civil rights violations experienced during this Russia-Ukraine war include torture, denial of medical care, ill-treatment of residents, conflict-related sexual violence, and extrajudicial execution. Moreover, with more Western nations such as the U.S. supporting Ukraine through the provision of military equipment, Russia feels threatened. The article states that this makes Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons real and credible. Taking such an action would result in more deaths of civilians in the region and the destruction of people’s properties.
Conclusion
In my perspective, a war ends when one side is successful in imposing its will on the other. This can be achieved first on the battlefield, then at the negotiating table. However, it can also be achieved when both sides desire a compromise rather than continuing to fight since the price of engaging in combat always outweighs any offers made in search of common ground. However, Russia has taken the political-strategic and operational-tactical initiative while Ukraine and the Western alliance have reacted to it by acquiring more military equipment to battle Russia. Based on these actions, I am certain that a quick resolution to the war is unlikely to be launched soon. Although Ukraine cannot afford to stop now because it would lose significant agricultural area and one-fifth of its territory to Russia, the country has to think about recent Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons, as it might be catastrophic.
Reference
Kazianis, H. J. (2022). Why Russia could Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine. Web.