[gjsman-1000]

True - but Russia has nuclear weapons which are more precise and would send the strongest possible message. This is also important because destroying a country might land you a victory, but if it's destroyed, that is a shallow victory. A well-placed nuke is scary and controlled.

[bcrosby95]

Russia would never nuke Ukraine because of the reaction from the West. Using existing radioactive materials wouldn't provoke the same reaction.

I'm not saying Russia will do anything here, but the two are very different from a geopolitical standpoint.