Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Russia would use nuclear weapons only to defend itself and its allies, adding that the Russian military doctrine does not pose any threat to the world.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined two cases, in which Russian would use its nuclear force.
“According to our doctrine, the Russian Federation, like before, reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in two cases: as a response to the use of nuclear or other types of weapons of mass destruction against Russia and (or) its allies, and in case of an act of aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons when the existence of Russian nation is threatened,” said the Director of the Foreign Ministry Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, Mikhail Ulyanov.
“These are pretty adequate conditions of strictly defensive nature. They do not pose any threat to the external world and are a mere warning to the potential aggressor, if there will be one,” Ulyanov added, as quoted by Interfax.
It is important to note that Russia adopted the new military doctrine at the end of 2014. According to the document, the very first danger for Russia is the expansion of NATO. The document also said that Russia reserves the right to protect its citizens around the world. The doctrine was then interpreted in the West as Russia’s strengthening of ‘nuclear rhetoric’.
Russia: We Can Disable NATO Satellites and Long-Range Arms
Meanwhile, Russia claims it has a super weapon that disables NATO satellites and long-range arms.
Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Group (KRET) is developing an exclusively new radio-electronic warfare system, which is able to suppress cruise missile guidance systems and other precision-guided weapons as well as other radio-electronic equipment of satellites.
“The system will target the enemy’s deck-based, tactical, long-range and strategic aircraft, electronic means and suppress foreign military satellites’ radio-electronic equipment,” KRET deputy chief Yuri Mayevsky told ITAR-TASS.
According to Mayevsky, the system will be located on ground, aircraft and naval carriers. However, “it will not be based on satellites as this is prohibited by international rules and we comply with this rule,” Mayevsky added.
The KRET deputy chief’s advisor, Vladimir Mikheyev said that the integrated multifunctional warfare system with naval and space-based systems will work in line with anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. The new technology “will fully suppress communications, navigation and target location, and the use of high-precision weapons,” Mikheyev said.
“The system will be used to fight against cruise missiles and suppress satellite radiolocation systems. It will pretty much turn off any weapon of the enemy,” he added.
According to Mikheyev, the ground component of the system will go through trials in the nearest future. “Ground tests are now going on in workshops,” he said. “At the end of the year, the system’s component will leave the factory gates for trials at testing ranges.”
NATO prepares for the war against Russia
Amid multiple signs of the upcoming war in Ukraine, NATO and Kyiv are building up their military cooperation in case of war against Russia. However, Russia is busy doing the same, according to The Newsweek.
Meanwhile, Russia does not limit itself exclusively with Ukraine. Moscow has already threatened the world with its nuclear weapons and had its warplanes fly around NATO and the U.S. ships in the Black Sea.
Russia has also deployed its missile Iskander complexes in both Crimea, which was annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and Kaliningrad. The Kremlin also ordered to station a significant amount of forces along Russia’s borders to block access to the country as well as carried out massive military drills in the Arctic and continues conducting intelligence operations aimed against the U.S. and Europe.
However, Russia’s aggressive moves have not been left unnoticed. NATO has been strengthening its forces in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe by sending its warships into the Black sea, carrying out several military drills and increasing its rapid response forces up to 40,000 soldiers.
The U.S. has promised to aid the rapid response forces of NATO with its aerial vehicles, fuel refilling aerial vehicles as well as systems of intelligence and surveillance. NATO is also set to station its tanks, Bradley combat vehicles and self-propelled howitzers in six NATO member states neighboring with Russia.
In response, Russia claims that such NATO moves present ‘unneeded provocation’ and may trigger a some kind of military response from Russia. However, such allegations are irresponsible. Russia is the one who triggered the tensions by its groundless aggression against Ukraine and constant threats against the West.
The West is not willing to protect itself against Russia
As the intensity of Russia’s threats is continuing to grow, NATO must raise the stakes. The Alliance must deploy its permanent contingent of forces in the Baltic and Black seas with its ground, anti-aircraft and naval defense units as well as well-trained intelligence people to counter Russia’s information aggression.
Europe has no other option. By invading Ukraine, Russia made a war in Europe possible and increased the possibility of the beginning of war with NATO.
Russia’s aggression threatens the European security as a whole. Amid the current circumstances, there is no alternative to creating and deploying powerful and effective conventional forces in order to protect the Baltic states and Eastern Europe from Russia’s aggression. This kind of deployment is the only reliable guarantee that Europe will be able to maintain peace and Moscow will never be able to realize its imperious ambitions in the region. Without the effective conventional forces, the West risks to strengthen the ego of the Russian government and its paranoid belief that the West is weak.
By cooperating with one another, Europe and the U.S. are able to support Ukraine and its neighbors, who are unfortunate to be neighboring with Russia, and prevent further aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In reality, what it means is that the West must spend a significant amount of money and train a vast number of soldiers. And unfortunately, the West is not willing to invest so much into building a solid protection against Russia.
However, the West must be reminded that peace cannot be maintained by itself.
Source: Interfax (Translation).
