For the past week, all eyes have been on Ukraine as Russian forces continue to rain down on the country. However, the war took a turn for the worse on 27 February, when Putin leaned towards the nuclear option.

In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Putin ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces to be put in a  “special regime of combat duty”. He justified this move as a response to the “illegal sanctions” and “aggressive statements” from NATO countries.

And these searing sanctions are already showing their impact, with the Russian central bank more than doubling its interest rate and the Russian ruble crashing to its lowest trade to the dollar at 119.

Five days into the invasion, it is apparent that things are not going Russia’s way, with the countries ministry of defence own report admitting no major victories. The main reason for this has been the resistance of the Ukrainian army, which has been further bolstered by civilians volunteers.

Visuals from the ground show defiant Ukrainian’s taking arms to Russia troops in cities like Kharkiv and even ordinary citizens standing on the street to block the advance of Russian tanks. Ukrainian authorities indicate that even though they are outgunned, the pace of the enemy attacks seems to have reduced.

However, the threat of a nuclear war is what hovers across the entire world. Many analysts have interpreted it as a bluff but it is terrifying nonetheless. In this episode, we will try answering the big question- how serious is Putin’s threat of a nuclear war?

Joining me today to discuss this is Professor Harsh V Pant, Director, Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation, a global policy think tank.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Saundarya Talwar

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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