All part of the charade. Probably doctrine. And Russia has been planning this for some years, sinisterly.
I expect this was changed to give them a legal basis to nuke Ukraine. https://www.defensenews.com/global/...of-atomic-weapons-against-non-nuclear-strike/
I keep reading this online but it makes no sense.
Putin is a dictator who can do whatever he likes. He needs no "legal" basis in his own country to do anything. The annexation is a nonsense, recognised by nobody but Russia so there is external legal basis. And whether "legal" or not, should he escalate he knows there will be a response which may well be the end for him personally and see the Russian Army put out of its misery in Ukraine.
Ukraine has attacked Crimea and Russian lands in the North and over stepped the red line repeatedly with no response. Russia threatened attacks against convoys supplying weapons in NATO countries and warned against continuing to arm Ukraine. Nothing has happened.
Annexation solves a problem for Putin at home, by giving him the ability to declare a victory and to justify his actions and all the dead soldiers. That's what the celebration today is about - a show of strength at home to try and appease the people. It doesn't make the use of tactical nuclear weapons carry any less consequences, militarily or politically.
He has only ever threatened and got his way. Now he isn't and doesn't know what to do. If he was really willing to die for this cause why not up the ante now? Or three months ago? Why risk a revolt in Russia by calling up conscripts?
His game is to wait it out. He thought the West was divided post Covid, Brexit and the various political discontent around Europe. He was wrong. It's the biggest misjudgement he could have made. He's now banking on the West getting bored with this and scared of energy prices climbing. He's a fool and the longer the sanctions are in place the closer he gets to whoever is next in line having him pushed out of a window. The air of invincibility is wearing off and the self serving people around him will only want to save their own skin. Eventually, the tide will turn. These are not committed nationalists - that's just convenient. They're gangsters and thieves.
He'll go the way many sad old dictators do, hopefully as painfully and in as much fear as possible.