West must restore nuclear deterrence skills, Ukrainian Harvard historian says

Russia does not have the resources for a large-scale new war, but its nuclear arsenal allows it to intimidate the West, making careful responses essential to prevent escalation.

This was stated by Serhii Plokhiy, a Ukrainian history professor at Harvard University, in an interview with state broadcaster Suspilne.

“Russia lacks the resources for a new military aggression. But it can still provoke NATO, intimidate, especially using nuclear weapons,” Plokhiy said.

The Harvard University-based historian, who has written several books about Ukraine, said that Russia’s arsenal, potential, and capacity for intimidation are virtually unlimited, so it is “very important for Europeans and Americans to respond to threats with credible counter-threats.”

“That is how the world avoided a new global war during the Cold War,” Plokhiy said.

While Russia is not the only nuclear power, the West has lost the skills needed to operate under the threat of a potential nuclear strike, the very skills it had during the Cold War.

“Nuclear weapons are used either to threaten or to deter. They must be handled correctly. I think the West is gradually waking up and returning to that knowledge, but it is a slow process,” Plokhiy said.