The two together possess about 93 percent of all nuclear weapons globally. Its stockpile makes Russia the largest nuclear power in the world, closely followed by the United States. вЂњRussia has an estimated 1,600 deployed tactical nuclear weaponsвЂ¦ The plurality of these tactical weapons would be delivered from the sea, but many others would be delivered by the air or even by ground.вЂќ Closer to reality, Russia has over 2,400 strategic nuclear weapons, with the majority of them tied to the intercontinental ballistic missile force,вЂќ Lanoszka told Al Jazeera. That said, the majority of these weapons are not immediately usable. вЂњThe Russian nuclear arsenal is vast insofar as estimates of it hold that it has 14,000 nuclear weapons in storage. However, it is particularly its nuclear capacity that makes Russia a force to be reckoned with. Vast arsenalД«esides nuclear weapons, the Russian deterrent includes a massive arsenal of ballistic missiles with conventional warheads, modern cruise and short-range missiles, and hypersonic weapons. The United States, NATO, and the EU do not appear to be too fazed by it because we have observed no changes in the US, French, or British nuclear operations,вЂќ Lanoszka said. For Putin, this might be problematic because future threats might not be believed. вЂњIt seemed that it was an inevitable tactic played too early. However, one can also argue that PutinвЂ™s announcement was somewhat of a strategic mistake, said Alexander Lanoszka, assistant professor at the department of political science at the University of Waterloo. He wants to change the game and regain the initiative, wants his adversaries to be off-balance and frightened, wondering how he might escalate next and against whom,вЂќ Rudesill added.

вЂњPutin is reaching for it at this point because the war is probably not going as well as he anticipated. Moreover, the resistance the Russians have met in Ukraine so far has played a pivotal role in the decision, he said. вЂњPutin is using his nuclear arsenal in this way because it is a tool he has, one that is mysterious and utterly terrifying,вЂќ Dakota S Rudesill, associate professor at Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University, told Al Jazeera.

Since this provocation, the question has become all the more critical as to how many nuclear weapons Russia possesses and whether these could be indeed a realistic option for Putin. Arguably frustrated by the lack of progress in his war on Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has put RussiaвЂ™s deterrent weapons вЂ“ including its nuclear arms вЂ“ on alert.

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