Commentary
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 21 threatened the “leading NATO countries” with nuclear weapons and ordered a draft of reservists. The top three NATO countries are the United States, France, and Britain.
The stakes are high for Putin, as Russia’s military is in retreat and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retake areas occupied by Russia eight years ago, including Crimea and what are now the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia leased its only warm-water naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea, from Ukraine. Now with Ukrainian advances, Russia’s kilo-class submarines are fleeing the port. It dates to the Soviet era, so its crumbling utility is an unprecedented blow to Russian prestige….