Russian President Vladimir Putin "used tired rhetoric about negotiations and nuclear saber rattling" during his address to the country's Federal Assembly on Thursday, the US-based think tank said in its latest analysis of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
It assessed that Putin's aim was "likely to seize on Western attention to the speech to promote ongoing Kremlin information operations."
Putin "emphasized that Russia possesses weapons that can strike Western countries and claimed that Western escalation is threatening a possible nuclear conflict that could destroy civilization," the Institute for the Study of War noted.
The Russian president and other top officials "frequently invoke nuclear threats to instill fear in Western audiences and weaken Western support for Ukraine," according to the ISW.
The US think tank said that the Kremlin "has not engaged in any significant escalations in response to the provision of new Western systems to Ukraine."
It added that "Russian nuclear use in Ukraine and beyond is highly unlikely."
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Friday is day 737 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, understandingwar.org