Vladimir Putin is looking at a different response to Western approval of long-range strikes into Russia after realizing that nuclear threats pushed by the Kremlin are losing their impact, it has been reported.
Since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has touted Moscow's nuclear capabilities as have pundits on Russian state television, who have gone further than the Russian president in calling for missile strikes on the countries that support Kyiv.
Alexander Mikhailov, director of the Bureau of Military Political Analysis, told the Russia-1 channel this month that Moscow should bomb plywood mock-ups of London and Washington featuring replicas of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the White House.
It is the latest in a long line of threats and saber-rattling amid a reluctance from some of Ukraine's allies, such as the U.S. and the U.K., to allow Kyiv to use weapons like ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) and Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory for fear of escalation.
But officials close to Russian diplomats say that Moscow's boasts about its nuclear capabilities are starting to lose their power over Western officials and "don't frighten anyone," leading to unhappiness among Russia's partners in the so-called "Global South," The Washington Post reported.
With Moscow's red lines constantly being crossed, Putin is developing a "more nuanced and limited response" to future Western approval of long-range strikes into Russia, the Post reported, without specifying details.
One source with ties to senior Russian diplomats said using nuclear weapons was "the least possible" of scenarios, not just because Russia's allies in the Global South would be unhappy with that but also because, "from a military point of view, it is not very effective."
Alternative options could include stepping up sabotage operations against military targets or other infrastructure in the West where Russia's participation could be hard to prove. Moscow could also turn to proxy groups like the Houthi militia in Yemen, which has been attacking Red Sea shipping, The Post reported.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Satellite imagery taken on Saturday showed that Russia recently conducted an unsuccessful test of a nuclear-capable RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, often referred to as Satan II.
The imagery shows a large crater at the Yubileynaya launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast ,where previous tests had taken place, and four fire trucks responding to active small fires near the destroyed silo. Open-source intelligence project MeNMyRC said the test was a "complete failure."
Washington has said that there is no immediate risk of Moscow resorting to nuclear weapons in the war that Putin started.
In its latest update, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Sunday that threats of confrontation are aimed "at disrupting and delaying key decision points in Western political discussions about further military assistance to Ukraine."