Fifty shades of red: where does Russia draw the line?

NDC Outlook 03-2023: Fifty shades of red: where does Russia draw the line?, by Polina Sinovets ¹

Summary

• Russia has repeatedly indicated that it would make use of its nuclear arsenal once certain “red lines” were crossed.
• The ambiguity of its language leads to widespread fear and speculation about nuclear war.
• Rather than being escalatory, the red lines have de-escalatory effects due to their deterrent nature.

1. Associate Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Political Science and Sociology Odessa National I.I. Mechnikov University. ↩︎