Victoria Nuland says that Russia has pivoted away from nuclear escalation threats to civilian infrastructure strikes

Nuland believes the reason for this pivot was international pressure on Russia not to use nukes

Russia's nuclear brinkmanship is a time-tested strategy and was aimed first at deterring Western arms supplies, and second at warning Ukraine against a counter-offensive on annexed territory

It could return to the fore again even if Putin has been warned of the costs

Civilian infrastructure strikes were advocated by the same hardliners who supported mobilization since the early stages of the war

It was logical that Putin's wholesale adoption of the hawk's agenda would lead to both infrastructure strikes and the draft occurring together

Therefore, I do not think that Russia's infrastructure strikes preclude future nuclear brinkmanship or these issues are related

Shifting intra-elite politics and challenges selling the war at home change Russia's actions much more than warnings from the international community