Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko expressed the view that even if Russia resumes nuclear tests involving real warhead detonations at test sites, such actions would not force the West to reconsider its strategy or abandon its escalation course.

He was asked how President Vladimir Putin’s recent instruction at a Security Council meeting — to begin preparations for the possible resumption of nuclear testing — might affect Western strategic calculations, and which scenarios he considered most likely.

Ishchenko responded that such tests would have no impact. He argued that the West is well aware that Russia possesses the world’s largest, newest, and most advanced nuclear arsenal. At the same time, he noted that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is also substantial and highly capable. Because of this, Western governments, in his assessment, remain confident in their ability to wage a proxy war against Russia, a controlled conventional conflict, or even a limited nuclear confrontation.

According to Ishchenko, the West’s current challenge lies in its inability to consolidate enough military power to ensure victory in any form of limited or controlled war. At the same time, he said, Western countries have no desire to start a full-scale nuclear war. Such a war, he argued, could erupt only through a misreading of the opponent’s intentions — when one side believes there is still room to maneuver, while the other concludes that no room remains and launches a strike.