Anyone here worried Ukraine may use a nuclear device if the ball drops and Russia bum rushes through Ukraine?
No way. Basically, just a suicide. If they strike military target - that would do moderate damage and change overally nothing. If they strike populated area - It would immediately solidify Russian rhetoric on a world stage, about Ukrainian regime being crazy terrorists.
Anyone here worried Ukraine may use a nuclear device if the ball drops and Russia bum rushes through Ukraine?
Ukraine has expressed its feeling as fight or die. Lose the fight, feel they would be willing to take it there.
It's a reasonable thought for nuclear nation. May have gotten rid of the weapons. Though Ukraine has a VERY LARGE nuclear infrastructure, even gets most of its energy from nuclear power,... that could be very easily turned into a weapons program secretly on a small scale. They have all the stuff and infrastructur to do so.
Even if so, the puppet state has no feelings, no will, no control over any decisions. Russia is aware of it, so if that would happen, expect proper retaliation. No ICBM's towards New York yet because no using striking massive civillian target, but Carrier Strike Group taken down might be a proper retaliation as an eye for military target. Again, i think Russia trusts in Americans that they keeping Ukrainians tight on leash and would never allow them to do so, unless they want to go apocalypse route. Among Ukrainians. only extreme radicals would consider that, and they are on the tight leash - West uses them only to escalate things to a certain degree, but never more. They are not crazy to let situation go out of their hands.
Still highly unlikely that Ukrainian regime itself would consider this possibility or preparing for it - they are simply thugs and corrupt cowards. The moment the Russian advance, they will rather run away of their country like Afghanistan regime did. There will be no Last Stand. Remember that picture of politicians chatting "let's get the hell out of this country" whenever head of Armed Forces talking about a possibility of a war?
Still, overall impact of nuclear strike from some small (no thermonuclear) bomb would change nothing. You won't do much against military targets by a small dirty bomb and almost no means of delivery.
It certainly is a problem for Ukraine. They are essentially the battleground.
And you are correct, Ukraine is a hostage of other power, their role is a battleground, nothing more. "No Man's land", "Grey zone", something like that. Ones they put them in NATO colors, games would be over for them.
They are also experienced in the matter as well. It wouldn't take much at all to weaponize their civilian program secretly. Again they have had 8 years to do so.
Experienced? To keep this program up and running, you need scientist staff that to this day is greatly degrated. Money, which Ukraine has none. I've scanned through some funding documents and it gives me impression that government prefers funding corrupt programs for laundering money, i don't see these people doing some patriotic last stand project. And most important - secrecy. Russians mundanely post secret documents out of their headquarters online, it is logical that their spies are keeping this subject within their line of sight, this would never go unnoticed.