I think they weren't ever going to use them because they know they would get nuked in turn. Once it became clear the bluff wasn't working, makes you look weak to use a threat and not follow through.
Some countries will use the threat of nuclear war to get what they want. But what they want often involves still being alive afterwards. Putin, like the rest of the leaders of countries with nuclear arms, knows that a nuclear strike demands a nuclear response. There is no other option and unfortunately the whole world suffers as a result.
He should at the very least care about the oligarchs in the country who are reliant on the Russian people to build and maintain their wealth. There's no wealth without people.