Why We Must Take Putin’s Nuclear Threat Very, Very Seriously

The Russian Orthodox Church has fused with its nuclear weapons complex, and in a religious conflict all bets are off.

Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill on Unity Day 2016–11–04

The world is probably closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, but you wouldn’t know that from current news coverage. Back in late February, when Russian President Vladimir Putin started his all-out invasion of Ukraine, fears of a nuclear conflagration surged, as Google Trends shows below. Polls of Europeans and Americans alike showed high levels of concern about a possible global nightmare. Now, we seem to have collectively gone back to sleep. But we may be in for a very rude awakening.

Global search interest in “nuclear war” over the last year (https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=nuclear%20war)

Wednesday, Putin gave a major speech on the war, announcing that he would call up 300,000 reservists to bolster the Russian army in the wake of recent Ukrainian gains on the battlefield. He also said, in a clear reference to his nuclear arsenal, “In the face of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” adding, “This is not a bluff. I will…