I have serious doubts about how “clean” even a modern nuke is but modern weapons are supposedly more efficient and therefore cleaner than WW2 equivalents. The other factor is where the bomb is detonated.
At ground level, it irradiates and throws up more material than if it is detonated high up in the air in an air burst configuration.
In any case, any kind of nuke crosses a diplomatic line that would bring a world of hurt against Putin which is not worth the tactical win. His nukes are way more useful as a saber to rattle to scare off Western countries from supporting Ukraine too effectively out of fear of escalation.
I could only see Putin use nukes in a desperate last-ditch defense against invaders at Moscow’s gates.
I have serious doubts about how “clean” even a modern nuke is but modern weapons are supposedly more efficient and therefore cleaner than WW2 equivalents. The other factor is where the bomb is detonated.
At ground level, it irradiates and throws up more material than if it is detonated high up in the air in an air burst configuration.
In any case, any kind of nuke crosses a diplomatic line that would bring a world of hurt against Putin which is not worth the tactical win. His nukes are way more useful as a saber to rattle to scare off Western countries from supporting Ukraine too effectively out of fear of escalation.
I could only see Putin use nukes in a desperate last-ditch defense against invaders at Moscow’s gates.