When it comes to nuclear weapons, the U.S. continues to outmatch Russia. Russian claims to the contrary rest on delusional assumptions and flawed analysis. Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin is making big new claims about his nuclear forces.

Meeting with Russian journalists on Wednesday evening, Putin referenced escalating NATO-Russian tensions and theatrically warned that “there is no reason for aggravating this to the level of the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s … If somebody else wants this, they can do it. I have said today what will follow. Let them make their calculations.” But Putin was clear what he means by “what will follow.” He asserted that Russia now has three nuclear warfare advantages over NATO. These being Russia’s more effective first strike capability, its greater tactical nuclear warfare capabilities, and Russia’s greater comparative ability to decapitate NATO leaderships.