In a scathing attack on the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the world faces its most dangerous decade since WW2 - having reaffirmed that Russia will use every available weapon in its arsenal, including tactical nuclear weapons.

Not only that, Russia has also made unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine is preparing to deploy a dirty bomb - a mix or explosives and radioactive waste. This has led many in the West, including US president Joe Biden, to wonder if such remarks are laying the groundwork for Russia’s own tactical nuclear strike.

In this episode James welcomes Dr Jean-François Bélanger from the University of Waterloo back onto the podcast. Jean-Francois, who advises the Canadian Ministry of Defence, takes us through the history behind these latest nuclear escalations.

This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan.

For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.

If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - enter promo code WARFARE for 7 days free + 50% off your first three months' subscription. To download, go to Android or Apple store.