A friend often speaks of Putin pushing that little red button, but launching he nukes does not work like that, it involves giving commands to generals to do the dirty work. Just imagine one devise that could do this; oops, drop it, apocalypse now. And after the blowing up of the Kakhovka Dam, with the West blaming Russia, and Russia blaming the Ukraine, the war has intensified. Ukraine president Zelensky, described the bombing as “an environmental bomb of mass destruction,” so there will be consequences, perhaps more drone strikes into Russia.
At some point a trigger will be squeezed and Russia will take the nuclear option, as Retired US Brigadier General Kevin Ryan has argued in detail. He sees the war as pretty much a stalemate, and Putin is likely to become more desperate over time, and in the end, the only way Russia can meet escalation with escalation is by introducing nuclear weapons.” Indeed, it is surprising that nukes have not been used yet.