Escalation Signaling in Ukraine and Its Implications for the Strategic Russia-US Relationship
... action as escalatory. In the Kinzhal case, Russia attempted escalation control through deliberate allusion to the nuclear option, despite statements of its leadership against nuclear use in Ukraine. While there remains a conceptual difference between nuclear deterrence and nuclear use, this may still contribute to a conflation of conventional and nuclear stakes in the conflict, increasing the risks of the signals being misunderstood in the U.S. Further, it is likely to further complicate Russia’s ...