Putin could be bluffing, but stakes are global nuclear war. Dr. Lani Kass discusses Russian nuclear brinksmanship, the "Oreshnik" hypersonic IRBM, and compares WWI & Ukraine as the war approaches 1 million casualties.

Dr. Kass is the former Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force (CSAF), Senior Mentor to USAF Project CHECKMATE, Director of the Cyber Task Force, Professor of Military Strategy and Operations and the National War College.

Since retiring from government, Dr. Kass has served as a Senior Advisor to the Center for American Defense Studies, Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Senior Vice-President at CACI International, and a Member of the Board of Visitors at the USAF Institute of Technology.

Dr. Kass is a graduate of the National War College, National Defense University, holds a PhD from the Kaplan School of Economics and Political Science, and a joint PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

Note: The views expressed in this interview are the opinions of Dr. Kass alone and do not represent the views or opinions of her employer or the United States Government.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Putin says Ukraine war is going global
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-russia-fired-hypersonic-ballistic-missile-ukraine-warning-west-2024-11-21/

World War III has officially begun, Ukraine’s ex-top general says
https://www.politico.eu/article/ww3-officially-begun-ukraine-ex-top-general-valery-zaluzhny/

The Ukraine missile crisis: Putin’s shadow war against the west finally breaks cover
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/23/the-ukraine-missile-crisis-putins-shadow-war-against-the-west-finally-breaks-cover

Russia recruits Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine
https://www.ft.com/content/da966006-88e5-4c25-9075-7c07c4702e06

Putin issues warning to United States with new nuclear doctrine
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-issues-warning-us-with-new-nuclear-doctrine-2024-11-19/

Ukraine says Russia launched an ICBM targeting Dnipro
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-icbm-attackddnipro-38b0faf6eed2cef98bdbc9be18f58244

Putin issues warning to United States with new nuclear doctrine
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-issues-warning-us-with-new-nuclear-doctrine-2024-11-19/

Russia starts making nuclear-resistant mobile bomb shelters
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-begins-mass-production-radiation-resistant-mobile-bomb-shelters-2024-11-19/

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,004
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/24/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-1004

China, Russia, and Ukraine: October 2024
https://www.cfr.org/article/china-russia-and-ukraine-october-2024