ISW: Putin justifies possible use of nuclear weapons by existential threat to Russia

This is said in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), according to Ukrinform.

According to the report, the Russian dictator continues to invoke nuclear threats as part of his ongoing information campaign to discourage further Western support for Ukraine and undermine the international community's efforts to cohere its strategic vision for defeating Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine. 

During a speech to graduating Russian officers on June 21, he claimed that Russia plans to further develop its nuclear triad as a "guarantee of strategic deterrence" and to maintain the balance of power in the world. Putin noted that Russia is also working to increase its conventional combat capabilities and defense industrial production.

Putin claimed during a press conference in Vietnam on June 20 that Russia is considering "lowering the threshold" for nuclear use in Russia's nuclear doctrine and that a possible future strategic defeat of Russian forces on the battlefield in Ukraine would result in the "end of [Russia's] statehood."

“Putin may have falsely equated a Russian defeat in Ukraine with an existential threat to the Russian state in order to invoke an "exceptional case" in which existing Russian nuclear doctrine would allow for the use of nuclear weapons,” ISW noted.

Experts noted Putin's June 21 statement appears to be the continuation of his recent information operation intended to sabotage the West's efforts to develop a common strategic objective of decisively defeating Russia’s invasion as the West’s envisioned end state for the war in Ukraine.

“The threat of nuclear escalation is a core aspect of Russia's ability to manipulate foreign decision-makers and is highly unlikely to result in actual nuclear escalation due to nuclear and conventional deterrence,” the report says.

As reported by Ukrinform, on May 21, the Russian military began the first stage of exercises that involve practical training and the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. Such exercises were announced in Russia on May 6 "in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions."