If the Kremlin publicly announces a policy, saying that they may reward some soldiers who disobey orders in a nuclear scenario? Then this raises the odds that a Russian official will refuse to launch a nuke—even when they have evidence that enemy nukes have already been fired on Russia.
(So far, so good. However...)
The problem is that it doesn’t just raise the odds of disobedience, it also raises the perceived odds as well. ie it will make Americans think that they have a better chance of launching a first strike and “getting away with it”.
A publically announced policy like this would have weakened the USSR’s nuclear deterrent. Arguably, this raises everyone’s chances of dying in a nuclear war, even the Americans.
Alternate answer:
If the Kremlin publicly announces a policy, saying that they may reward some soldiers who disobey orders in a nuclear scenario? Then this raises the odds that a Russian official will refuse to launch a nuke—even when they have evidence that enemy nukes have already been fired on Russia.
(So far, so good. However...)
The problem is that it doesn’t just raise the odds of disobedience, it also raises the perceived odds as well. ie it will make Americans think that they have a better chance of launching a first strike and “getting away with it”.
A publically announced policy like this would have weakened the USSR’s nuclear deterrent. Arguably, this raises everyone’s chances of dying in a nuclear war, even the Americans.