A leading expert has sounded the alarm after Vladimir Putin's latest tactic in Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Dr Alexandra Vacroux is Executive Director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, having lived in Moscow for 12 years - including a stint at the Russian Privatization Agency.
On Wednesday night, she joined RTE Prime Time to discuss the move from Russia and Mr Putin to call up 300,000 'reservists' to assist their forces.
In a rambling televised address on Wednesday, the Kremlin leader also said that Russia has and would use nuclear weapons, telling the West it was "not a bluff."
However, this hasn't sat right with Dr Vacroux.
She explained: "Well, even though he said the threat to use all weapons was not a bluff - we have no idea. I expect Putin himself doesn't know if he's bluffing.
"I don't think he's made any kind of decision to use chemical or nuclear weapons, but I also don't think he's ruled it out.
"This is a typical Russian approach. I don't think it's off the table from a Russian perspective."
Many outsiders have called for some of Putin's closest advisors to try and reel him in or even attempt an overthrow to end the illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has backfired since it was initially launched back in February with a three-day end goal for Russia.
But the likelihood of someone being able to take him down from the inside is not high, Dr Vacroux believes.
She continued: "We don't exactly know what's happening in terms of military leadership.
"There are rumours that Putin is giving some of the orders himself. The command on the ground has appeared to be chaotic - generals have been removed from their duties, some have been killed in action - so it's difficult to know how much Putin could do without having the signoff of military leaders.
"But given his control over the inner circle - particularly the Minister of Defence - I don't think we could count on someone on the inner circle stopping him.
"What is likely to stop Putin is the risk that the response from the West is asymmetric in the sense of having NATO troops on the ground - he does not want that."
RTE Prime Time is available on the RTÉ Player.
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