Putin’s robot attack a political marker

Ever since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, and even before, President Putin has been rattling off his nuclear weapons.

The latest attack – with a newly developed ballistic robot capable of carrying nuclear weapons – can be seen as a form of scare tactic, according to Johan Norberg at FOI.

– This is a way to show the West that Russia can still be counted on.

According to Ukrainian information, on the night of Thursday, Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) against Ukraine. So far, the information has not been confirmed, and both foreign observers and Putin himself claim that it was in fact a ballistic robot with a shorter range than that – but which can also travel thousands of kilometers and be armed with nuclear weapons.

Johan Norberg, research leader and military analyst at the Total Defense Research Institute (FOI) sees it as another signal and marking from the Russian side.

– There is a constantly recurring message that ‘we have nuclear weapons, we have nuclear weapons’.

The support comes “by the teaspoon”

The purpose of the nuclear war is to make the outside world insecure and to influence other countries so that they will not dare to support Ukraine. And so far it has both succeeded and failed, says Johan Norberg.

– It has a great effect in our collective consciousness. And it has had an effect in such a way that the West’s support for Ukraine has become much slower and comes by the teaspoon rather than what is needed – a lot and quickly, which the military logic actually requires.

The ballistic robot attack on the major city of Dnipro comes just days after Russia announced its new nuclear doctrine, which also reminds the world that the country possesses weapons of mass destruction.

Collaborative resources

But a single weapon system can hardly win the big and complicated war, even if we would like to believe that tanks, cannons or other things will make a big difference, points out Norberg, who says that the latest attack “is more a political mark than a military one”.

Russia is advancing in the war, but at a high price. The progress is quite small compared to the size of the battle area and the costs of the war.

– Both in terms of dead and injured, but above all financially. The Russian economy is in trouble. And there are also starting to be demographic problems, says Johan Norberg.

– This can be a way of manifesting some form of strength, both externally but also internally in Russia.