Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko with Vladimir Putin at military exercises in Kaliningrad in 2013.
EPA/Alexey Druginyn/Ria Novosti/Kremlin pool
What are tactical nuclear weapons and would Russia resort to using them in Ukraine?
This Russian short-range cruise missile, the Iskander-K, can carry nuclear warheads for several hundred miles.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP
Tactical nuclear weapons were designed to be used on the battlefield rather than for strategic defense, but that doesn’t mean there’s a plausible case for using them.
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The world’s failure to contain the nuclear threat is frighteningly evident in the potential risk of war in Ukraine spinning out of control.