After the United States and Britain allowed Ukraine to use weapons provided by the West to attack Russia, the Russian military launched a joint attack on Ukrainian military industrial enterprises. And during that attack, the Russian military tested a new medium-range hypersonic missile without a nuclear warhead, code-named 'Hazel'. As a result, concerns about the outbreak of nuclear war have escalated again.

不过，据多名来自美国政界的消息人士对媒体透露，尽管俄罗斯总统普京发出了类似的警告，但目前来看，俄方因美国放松管制而发动核战争的可能性不大。

But they said Russia could expand its sabotage campaign against European targets to increase pressure on the West.

他们指出，过去七个月的一系列情报评估得出结论，核升级不太可能是美国放松对乌克兰使用美国武器限制的决定造成的。 That view has not changed after U.S. President Joe Biden this month reversed the U.S. stance on weapons, sources said.

“评估是一致的：ATACM不会改变俄罗斯的核计划，”一名听取情报简报的国会助手说，他指的是此次美国解绑限制、射程高达190英里（306公里）的导弹。

作为背景，在得到美国总统拜登的批准后，乌克兰于11月19日用6枚美制ATACMS导弹袭击了俄罗斯，并于11月21日用英国“风暴阴影”导弹和美制M142高机动性多管火箭系统，也就是“海马斯”（HIMARS）系统，袭击了俄罗斯。

After that, Russia launched a new medium-range hypersonic missile (codenamed "Hazel") at Ukrainian military installations in response to Ukraine's use of long-range US and British missiles to attack Russian territory. Putin warned last week that there could be more such missiles in the future.

Putin also confirmed that Russia has a stockpile of new medium-range hypersonic missiles code-named "Hazel" and will continue to test them in combat. "Testing will continue, especially since we have sufficient missile reserves at this stage to necessitate serial production of the Hazel missile," he said.

One of the sources said that while Washington assessed that Russia would not seek to upgrade its nuclear forces, it would try to follow the U.S. approach. The official said the deployment of the new missiles was part of that effort.

Debates have raged within the Biden administration in recent months over whether Washington is worth risking Putin's ire by easing restrictions on the use of U.S. weapons in Ukraine. Some officials, including the White House, Pentagon and State Department, fear deadly retaliation against U.S. military and diplomatic personnel and attacks on NATO allies. Others are particularly worried about nuclear escalation.

The sources said that while fears of escalation, including on nuclear issues, are exaggerated for now, they stressed that the overall situation in Ukraine remains dangerous and that nuclear escalation is not impossible. Russia’s ability to find other covert ways to retaliate against the West remains a concern.