Russia has lots of tactical nukes designed to be used on the battlefield. Russia pretends NATO is the acute and pacing threat for Russia's military to match. In reality, China is both for Russia.
Russia’s nuclear posture has for years been understood in terms of “escalate to win,” meaning it rests upon a realistic threat of an actual first-strike or offensive use of tactical nuclear weapons. One could argue that, in some cases, this achieves its intended effect, given that there has been no military confrontation between Russia and NATO and the West. On some level, Russia has to operate with the knowledge that they would likely be decimated in a full-scale war with NATO, particularly in the air, so a credible nuclear threat can be used to get leverage or equalize the balance of power.
Yes, Russia's nukes are intended to cope with the inability of Russia's military to defend its huge land border. And that weakness was there even when Russia's leaders believed they had the second best conventional military on the planet. Then Russia stripped the rest of Russia of troops to wage a war of conquest on Ukraine--destroying and killing whatever quality it had on the eve of invading.
Russians need to admit that the faux threat of NATO invading Russia could be ended if Russia stopped waging war in the west and acting like and talking like NATO is a threat. The Russians believed their own BS--and are running out of time to live in that fantasy world.
Because of Putin's decision to wage a costly war in the west, China has an opportunity to end the lingering insult from the Century of Humiliation across their border with Russia in the Far East.
And if Russia plans to use their nukes--the ones that work--I suspect invading Chinese troops will be the target.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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