Putin’s nuclear threats and the information war

The war in Ukraine is in its 23^rd day and, by all accounts, has not been going as smoothly as Putin planned. Russian forces have suffered significant loses and been surprised by the strength of Ukrainian nationalism and their armed forces. As an easy Russian victory becomes more remote, what will a frustrated, angry President Putin do?

He’s already hinted at the prospect of deploying nuclear weapons, saying countries that interfere in this war will face consequences “greater than any you have faced in history,” and analysts warn of the danger of a cornered Putin.

We start our hour discussing whether the threat of nuclear war is real and what this means for Ukraine and global security. Then, we’ll talk about who’s winning the information war and the tactics President Zelensky and President Putin use to spread their starkly different messages.

Guests

Joe Cirincione, Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute and a national security analyst. He’s the author a number of books including Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World before It Is Too Late and Bomb Scare:  The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. He served previously as president of Ploughshares Fund. @cirincione

Jane Lytvynenko, senior fellow in the Technology and Social Change Project at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. @janelytv

Read more

Washington Post, Why Putin’s nuclear threat could be more than bluster – The risk is higher than the West might think, some experts say.

The Atlantic, I Can’t Stop Watching a Livestream of Kyiv – “My home is in danger, and I’m thousands of miles away. This small, strange window is helping me cope.’