Well... actually... right from the VERY start of the war:

We already knew Russia would do this! (Duh!)

It's just such an obvious, laughable, spectacle of a juvenile psychological tactic... to make a mockery of true elections/referendums.

All of which, again: we ALREADY knew Russia would try to implement this as a scare tactic!

Because pretty soon Russia won't be able to defend those areas anymore.

As such: Ukraine defense and resistance forces will pay ZERO attention to this tactic that was already predicted from day one.

In the end: on the worse case scenario note, it will not be pretty.

But ya: if Russia attempts a nuclear strike, whelp... that sucks, but such a response will at least be the complete and utter and total end of Russia and Moscow forever and ever afterwards, in terms of the NATO counter-response.