I simply do not agree that a nuclear power, especially with their background from WWII at the least, would let us bomb Moscow and not go nuclear.
Again, if Russia was bombing DC or LA or NY, whether by proxy or not, we would be guaranteed to attack.
And one other thing not often discussed, but well known in nuclear escalation gaming is that conventional attacks are also a nuclear threat.
Say we saw a Russian missile, launched from Venezuela or Cuba, headed straight for DC. and somehow we believed it was conventional. Say we accept the hits or try to shoot it down or whatever. Say it keeps happening.
The Russians are smart enough, and Putin even directly said, that normalizing the idea that we will pound Moscow with conventional weapons is a bad idea. It essentially acclimatizes you to not worry about the incoming.... and THAT is when you are incredibly vulnerable to a surprise first strike.
So if the US, starts sending hundreds or thousands of warheads into Moscow, they know that on any given day, it might be a nuclear attack after they were lulled into complacency.
Im at a point in life that I no longer give in to nuclear blackmail. They (Russia) can either put up or shut up with their nuclear threats to the West. If they want to bomb Kiev with abandon, because they can, we will arm the Ukes to bomb Moscow with abandon, because they now can too. F*ck Putin and Russia. Big talkers. If we all die we all die. We all knew the risks. I’m not willing to live giving in to Putins nuclear blackmail, 24/7. And I vote that you don’t get to either. So there.