By David Morgan, February 28, 2022 / 1:31 PM / CBS News

As Ukraine continues to fight off Russian invaders, the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West are already having a devastating impact on that nation’s economy.

But they have not stopped President Vladimir Putin yet. Over the weekend he put his nuclear forces on high alert, raising new fears of an escalation.

On Monday retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who served as the European affairs director for the National Security Council, told “CBS Mornings” that this latest development is familiar to Kremlin watchers.

“Vladimir Putin is hoping through his nuclear saber-rattling that he’ll put us back on our heels, get us to be deeply concerned about the potential for nuclear escalation. But of course, for those in government, they understand that … we’ve had to deal with this threat throughout the Cold War, throughout the Soviet period, for generations,” Vindman said, “and that we had to respond to Russia’s belligerence and stay firm in supporting our national security interests. That’s part of it, is just not to bend because of the nuclear saber-rattling, because we’ve seen it before.”

Source: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman says West must not bend to Putin’s “nuclear saber-rattling” – CBS News