[colorado tanker]

I don't think Putin would be crazy enough to go nuclear. And I suspect he knows, or is at least concerned with the possibility, that the Poles would beat him in a conventional conflict.

[El Sordo]

Hopefully you are correct.

But if you found yourself in an untenable position where your choices are:

1- You lose big and you opponent wins big.

or

2- You both loose big.

I am inclined to think the Russian mindset trends to option 2.