Three situations were given in which nuclear force would be used. They were: 1. Efforts to try and bring Crimea back to Ukraine; 2. Supplying Ukraine with weapons by NATO; and 3. A buildup of NATO forces in the Baltic states. In essence, these are the same situations that were seen in Ukraine previously.
NATO is currently building a Spearhead Force which is preparing to be able to respond rapidly to any crisis in the NATO nations. The plans include building up three Baltic nations: Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
In March, a Foreign Ministry official in Russia said that Russia is planning on placing nuclear weapons in Crimea. They will be deployable on 10 Tupolev 22M3 bombers, and Iskander missiles.
With Putin, it is difficult to determine what is just "scaremongering and intimidation," or if he really means it. Of course, he enjoys when others aren't sure. At any rate, it appears that he is getting ready for "destablilizing actions" in the Baltics. Putin would like to add the three Baltic states to Russia.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-nuclear-threat-could-vladimir-putin-really-push-170710877.html
Source: http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/04/putin-russia-threatens-nuclear-war/
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: nuclear threat, nuclear war, Putin, Kremlin, Ukraine, Crimea, NATO, nuclear force