PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 27th, 2026: Putin’s Considering Using Nuclear Weapons & Russia’s Deadly Car Blast

this episode is brought to you by nordstrom for 125 years nordstrom has been part of your story the stylist who found the perfect outfit for your big interview the first pair of walking shoes for your one-year-old the tomato soup you shared with your sister at the cafe these are the moments that make nordstrom nordstrom big or small we're here for all of it celebrating 125 years it's thursday the 27th of august welcome to the pdb afternoon bulletin i'm mike baker your eyes and ears on the world stage all right let's get briefed first up kremlin insiders say that vladimir putin is preparing to escalate the war in ukraine as concerned grows that moscow could turn to the possibility of a tactical nuclear strike i'll have the details later in the show a deadly car explosion kills a russian military officer far from the front lines the latest in a series of assassinations of putin's senior officers but first today's afternoon bulletin a new report says vladimir putin is preparing to escalate the war in ukraine and that a growing number of russian officials believe the conflict could eventually lead putin to use a tactical nuclear weapon that's the headline from bloomberg which cites multiple sources close to the kremlin but there is an important qualification bloomberg also reports that there are no signs that russia is currently preparing to use a nuclear weapon there is no reported movement of warheads no indication that putin has made such a decision and no evidence that a nuclear strike is imminent what the reporting does show is that the nuclear option is being discussed reportedly more openly than ever before and that's why we're here for this and that's why we're here for this inside moscow as russian officials conclude that diplomacy has failed and the war is entering a more dangerous phase according to bloomberg the kremlin is considering a major expansion of conventional strikes against ukraine that could include heavier ballistic missile attacks on kiev including the city center as well as intensified attacks on infrastructure across other ukrainian cities one source said the current level of fighting does not represent the peak of russia's escalation the thinking inside the kremlin is reportedly that every mechanism for peace talks has collapsed well that might be because putin doesn't want peace unless it's exactly on his terms now despite putin not backing off his long-held maximalist demands moscow believes or they've led themselves to believe that they've already made concessions that each one weakened its position without producing an acceptable settlement that's a nice narrative on the part of the kremlin russian officials reportedly hold little hope that president trump's envoys steve whitkoff and jared kushner will return with a proposal capable of restarting serious negotiations putin also appears determined not to end the war under pressure from western sanctions or ukraine's escalating attacks against russian oil refineries or logistics hubs or other economic targets in fact the kremlin increasingly portrays those ukrainian strikes as attacks carried out by nato itself because western governments provide kiev with weapons and intelligence and targeting assistance putin recently accused ukraine of opening what he called a pandora's box by striking economic targets and promised retaliation against ukraine's most sensitive industries it's almost like vladimir putin forgot that he started this whole mess with his invasion several years ago and we're now learning more about just how seriously washington is taking that danger earlier this week we reported that cia director john ratcliffe had made a rare previously unannounced trip to moscow the wall street journal now reports that ratcliffe's central message was in a sense a warning that russia must not attack nato according to people briefed on the visit the warning followed new u.s intelligence indicating that putin could test the alliance with a limited cyber attack or military incursion against one of nato's baltic members within the next several years ratcliffe reportedly met with sergey narishkin the head of russia's foreign intelligence service moscow has confirmed the meeting but not what was discussed now that does not mean that washington believes a russian attack on nato is imminent but it suggests that the administration sees a serious enough risk to deliver the message directly through the cia director put all of that together and moscow's near-term escalation ladder still appears heavily conventional more ballistic missiles larger attacks against ukrainian cities and infrastructure potentially more troops and increasingly direct pressure against the nato government's supporting kiev and that does fit a broader pattern that we've been tracking here on the pdb back in july reuters reported that putin was likely to escalate despite the trump administration's efforts to negotiate peace one kremlin connected source described the chances of escalation in the coming months as high russia has also spent this year strengthening the machinery that it would need for a larger mobilization its conscription system now operates throughout the year supported by an electronic draft registry and rules that keep medical eligibility decisions valid for longer now none of that proves another mass mobilization has been ordered but it would make one easier to carry out meanwhile voluntary recruitment has reportedly slowed as russia continues suffering heavy battlefield losses ukraine claims that putin could draft another 300 000 troops after russia's september elections and perhaps seek an even larger expansion next year that remains a ukrainian intelligence assessment not a confirmed kremlin decision but it is consistent with moscow preparing for a longer more manpower intensive war president zielinski has also said russia is working toward the capacity to produce as many as 1 300 ballistic missiles annually now ukraine by contrast is struggling with a shortage of patriot interceptors the weapons that it relies on to stop those ballistic missiles and that brings us back to the nuclear question some russian officials reportedly believe that putin could eventually view a tactical nuclear weapon as a last resort if he saw no other way to avoid defeat russia has also broadened its official nuclear doctrine allowing for a nuclear response to certain conventional attacks supported by a nuclear armed country still the probability of that remains well extremely low a tactical nuclear weapon would offer uncertain military value against ukraine's dispersed forces while imposing enormous political and strategic costs it would shatter the nuclear taboo risk a direct western response and potentially damage moscow's relationship with china which has repeatedly warned against nuclear escalation there is also another possibility that we should keep in mind this report may itself be part of the pressure campaign or disinformation campaign the information comes from anonymous kremlin connected sources at a moment when moscow wants washington and europe to believe that continued support for ukraine could produce uncontrollable escalation putin has repeatedly used nuclear threats to frighten western governments and influence decisions about weapons deliveries so in reality the most likely escalation is not a tactical nuclear strike it's a larger conventional assault involving more missiles more troops and more attacks against ukraine's cities and infrastructure all right coming up next a russian officer is killed in a car explosion as attacks against putin's military establishment move deeper inside russia i'll be right back hey mike baker here with a solid tip for staying healthy and feeling great look you and i know that finding time for workouts right when life gets crazy yeah it feels impossible enter the life pro waver vibration plate in just 10 minutes muscles constantly fire to 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Big or small, we're here for all of it. Celebrating 125 years with new moments still ahead. Discover it all in Nordstrom stores and at nordstrom.com. The perfect lunch combo. That first bite of your favorite sub, followed by ice-cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends, and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun. And more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today. Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Keeping the focus on Russia, a deadly car explosion in St. Petersburg is raising immediate questions because it resembles a series of recent attacks against targets connected to Moscow's war effort. Russian media reports say that a Russian military officer and his wife were traveling together today when their car exploded, killing the man. The man instantly, and sending his wife to the hospital with serious injuries. Russian authorities have not publicly identified either victim. The country's investigative committee says it's opened a criminal case after what it describes simply as a car catching fire, killing one person and injuring another. But Russian media is providing more detail. The St. Petersburg outlet, Fontanka, identifies the man as a lieutenant colonel. Other local reports describe him as a military pilot, although that has not been officially confirmed. No one has claimed responsibility. Ukraine has not commented, and Russian authorities have not accused Kiev or anyone else. Investigators have not even publicly confirmed that a bomb caused the explosion. But they will inevitably examine whether the incident is connected to a broader campaign targeting Russia's military leadership and defense industry. Russia has blamed Ukraine for a string of previous assassinations and attempted killings involving military officers, weapons producers, and other figures, tied to Putin's invasion. Ukrainian sources have acknowledged involvement in some operations, denied others, and remained silent on several more. As examples, on the 13th of August, a bomb hidden inside a trash bin exploded as a Russian naval officer walked through Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russian and independent media identified him as Robert Shigeyev, the deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine brigade. Now, Shigeyev had previously commented, Ukraine's only submarine, before switching allegiance to Russia when Moscow annexed Crimea back in 2014. Russian authorities arrested the woman and accused her of carrying out the assassination on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence. Those allegations have not been independently verified, and Kiev has not commented. Earlier that month, a bomb exploded during a private party at a restaurant in central Moscow. The blast killed five people and wounded at least 19 others. Now, several Russian media, media outlets, claimed the intended target was Colonel General Alexander Chaikov, the commander of Russia's Aerospace Forces, and one of the country's most senior military officers. Those reports have not been independently confirmed, but Chaikov reportedly survived. Then, on August 5th, another explosion targeted a different part of Russia's war machine. A car carrying Vladimir Kachuk, the director of a factory producing drones for the Russian military, exploded outside Yekaterinburg, nearly 900 miles east of Moscow. His driver was killed while Kachuk was hospitalized in grave condition. No public evidence has connected that explosion to Ukraine, but it fits the target profile seen in other attacks. Military commanders, weapons producers, and individuals directly involved in sustaining Putin's war. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 27th of August. 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