As Russia's Ukraine war intensifies, some warn nuclear escalation is possible

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/ [login to see] /russia-ukraine-war-putin-nuclear-escalation-risk
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders to his nation's nuclear forces. On Monday, the U.S. said it would not respond with changes to its own nuclear posture.

"At this time we see no reason to change our own alert levels," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

Some experts, though, are worried about the possibility of nuclear escalation. Here's why.

The exact meaning of Putin's order remains unclear
In a brief clip, Putin is shown speaking to two stony-faced generals about the country's nuclear forces.

"He basically said, 'Because of all these hostile or aggressive statements and aggressive policies, we should start this special mode of combat duty of our deterrent forces,'" says Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva.