0
Maybe it´s the very last card Putin has if the presumably Ukrainian spring offensive happens and it is succesful.
Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons (tactical or strategic) has so far been the only thing that has really stopped the West from giving full support to Ukraine. If the West had not had that brake, given the poor Russian military performance, it could have been definitive.
If you want instead of "poor performance in military operations" (till now, things always can change) so as not to offend your pro-Russian sentiments we can say "less than expected performance".
Bookmarks