It seems to be their only method.
It turned out their conventional army and the threat it posed wasn't as strong as advertised. The threat of Russian tanks didn't work out.
So now they threaten upwards through the other weapons they have.
Clearly Putin has no belief in his own charm. And one can see why. He looks like a dough ball with hastily drawn on pig eyes and a sour mouth. Nothing kind about it. No humour. No intelligence. Just a boring guy with a bullying way about him.