‘More Russians Fear Putin May Resort to Nuclear Weapons as Tensions in Ukraine Escalate’

VLADIMIR Putin could use a tactical nuke on Ukraine as the desperate tyrant scrambles to end the war, a growing number of Russians believe.

is reportedly preparing to intensify conventional missile attacks on Ukraine after peace talks have reached a dead end.

Putin will not back down despite being squeezed by sanctions and withstanding painful strikes on ‘s power grid, sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg .

Escalating attacks between Moscow and Kyiv is leading a growing number of Russian officials to believe a tactical nuke could be used as a last resort, they said.

Putin has often resorted to nuclear sabre-rattling to intimidate Ukraine‘s Western allies out of supplying arms.

Moscow also increasingly views Ukraine’s strikes as attacks, given that the alliance supplies Kyiv with weapons and intelligence, the sources told Bloomberg.

The likelihood of the tyrant breaking the global taboo of not using in wartime has long been a major concern.

But the risk of Russia resorting to the nuclear option remains low, given the potential political cost of breaking the taboo.

However, it could be an extreme response should Putin feel he has his back to the corner.

Tactical nuclear weapons carry weaker warheads and have a shorter range than traditional strategic weapons.

They are designed to influence a specific battlefield rather than level cities, as the US did to Nagasaki and Hiroshima during the last wartime use of a nuke in 1945.

The nuclear fallout can still contaminate large swathes of land and have catastrophic long-term implications.

Putin has shrugged off the impact that Ukrainian attacks are having on the Russian economy, saying his enemy has “opened Pandora’s box”.

He added: “Be ready to get a blowback on your most sensitive sectors of the economy.”

Russian attacks devastating the Ukrainian power grid during the harsh winter months, leaving thousands without heating or electricity.

The Kremlin has also exploited Ukrainian lack of missile interceptors, unleashing devastating attacks on the country in recent weeks.

US efforts to bring an end to the conflict have also appeared to have stalled, with focused on the Iran war.

Earlier this year, it looked as though Washington might have helped pressure Ukraine into ceding its eastern Donetsk region.

has repeatedly rejected Putin’s demands to surrender the region.

Russia finds itself in an increasingly tenuous position, with enormous battlefield losses and an crisis exacerbated by sanctions.

When Putin launched his illegal invasion in 2022, the dictator thought the war would be over in a few days.

But four and a half years later, resolution is still far from sight, sparking fears that he may use the tactical nuke out of desperation.

It comes amid fears that Putin is gearing up for a terrifying test of .

An influx of aircraft converging in the Arctic has sparked concerns the tyrant could which is fuelled by its own atomic reactor.

The Kremlin has long hailed the which carries a nuclear warhead and reportedly boasts an .

This means it could strike the UK should Putin ever decide to blitz the West, according to analysts.

Satellite images from across the past few weeks show Moscow’s high-powered aircraft descending on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic.

The region has already and was previously used by the Soviets as one of their main nuclear sites between 1955 and 1990.

The Kremlin, who have , are yet to confirm or deny the suspected test fears.