Terrifying leaked military files have revealed that Russia’s threshold for unleashing nuclear weapons is lower than once feared.
Kremlin forces have already rehearsed scenarios for tactical attacks at the early stages of a conflict with a world power, according to the documents.
A total of 29 secret Russian military files written between 2008 and 2014 are detailed, including details on how war gaming might proceed and presentations to naval officers discussing the operating principles of using nuclear weapons.
A possible nuclear response could be triggered by an enemy’s incursion into Russian territory on more specific examples, such as the destruction of 20 percent of Moscow’s strategic ballistic missile submarines, the report said. secret documents, seen by the Financial times and assessed by experts.
“This is the first time we see these types of documents appearing in the public domain,” Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, told the publication.
According to the classified documents, a possible nuclear response could be triggered by an enemy’s incursion into Russian territory on more specific examples, such as the destruction of 20 percent of Moscow’s strategic ballistic missile submarines.
This grab, created from video footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on April 20, 2022, shows the launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at the Plesetsk test field, Russia
Russian soldiers load a rocket into a Grad rocket launcher during a mission at a secret location in Ukraine
“They show that the operational threshold for using nuclear weapons is quite low if the desired outcome cannot be achieved by conventional means.”
Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons can be delivered over land, via missiles launched from the sea, or through the use of aircraft.
They were built for limited combat use in Europe and Asia, while larger “strategic” weapons were made to hit targets in the US.
The files date from more than a decade ago and experts say they do not contradict modern Russian military doctrine.
The plans highlight long-standing fears of China among Russian security figures, despite the 71-year-old president forging ties with Beijing, which brokered a nuclear no-first-strike deal in 2001.
As ties strengthened, documents show that Russia’s Eastern Military District prepared for various scenarios that could result from an invasion by China.
The scenarios show how Moscow sees its nuclear weapons as central to its defense policy.
One example shows that Russia, called the “Northern Federation” in the war game, could retaliate with a tactical nuclear strike to prevent “the South” from advancing further with a second wave of invading troops.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said there is no reason to suspect Russia.
“The Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between China and Russia has established in law the concept of eternal friendship and non-enmity between the two countries,” a spokesperson told the Financial Times.
Russia has claimed that its most powerful nuclear missile, the hypersonic ‘Satan-2’, traveling at 16,000 miles per hour, could destroy Britain
A still image from a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows that it was a Russian nuclear-powered submarine that sailed during the Umka-2022 military exercises in the Chukchi Sea in September 2022.
Putin’s spokesman said today that “the ‘threat theory’ has no market in China and Russia,” adding: “The most important thing is that the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons is absolutely transparent and set out in the doctrine.”
The spokesperson said that Russia strongly doubts the authenticity of the said documents.
A training presentation for naval officers, not directly related to the Chinese war games, outlined broader criteria for launching nuclear weapons at a target.
An enemy invading Russian territory, the defeat of units charged with securing border areas, or an impending enemy attack using conventional weapons were mentioned.
Last week, a close Putin aide and former president warned the West that Russia is capable of accidentally starting a nuclear war.
Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of Putin’s Security Council, told “powerless” Western leaders that they were misjudging the risk of nuclear war, both as a deliberate decision by Putin – and as a terrifying accident.
“This clock, which is ticking in a certain direction, has now accelerated very much,” Medvedev warned, pointing to the “clear threat to all humanity.”
‘And in this I also see the inability, excuse me, the impotence of these Western authorities.’
‘(They) keep saying the same thing: “No, it’s the Russians who scare us, they will never do it”. They’re wrong.’
It came just days after the ex-president threatened that Russia could bomb Britain, the US, Ukraine and its allies if Russia is forced to cede occupied territories.
“Attempts to restore Russia’s 1991 borders will lead to only one thing: a global war with Western countries using our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kiev, Berlin, London and Washington.”
“And against all other beautiful historical places that have long been among the flight targets of our nuclear triad,” he said, referring to Russia’s nuclear weapons offer.
Critics, one of Russia’s most aggressive pro-war commentators, say Medvedev’s threats are empty.
But recent rhetoric has highlighted how willing Russia might be to use nuclear weapons if cornered and faced with the loss of occupied territories.
Medvedev reaffirmed threats that Russia would be ready to resort to nuclear warfare if necessary
“As sad as it may sound, this (nuclear war) scenario is real,” the outspoken Putin lackey said in his latest speech.
‘We must do everything we can to prevent this.’
“When it comes to the survival of our country, and I said this recently, what choice is left for the (Russian) leadership, for the head of state?” he continued.
He added unequivocally: “So this is unfortunately a real threat, a direct and clear threat to all of humanity.
‘And secondly, there are also accidents, from which no one is immune. And the accidental, unintended onset of a nuclear conflict cannot be ruled out.
“So all these games around Ukraine are extremely dangerous.”
The former president – who served from 2008 to 2012 – suggested days earlier that London and other Western capitals could be destroyed if Russia loses the war.
He asked rhetorically: “Will we have the courage to do this when the disappearance of a thousand-year-old country, our great motherland, is at stake, and the sacrifices made by the Russian people over the centuries will be in vain?” The answer is obvious.’
He suggested at the time that Kiev and the West should give Putin the parts of Ukraine he considers Russia.