Vladimir Putin’s forces have rehearsed using tactical nuclear weapons at an early stage of conflict with a major world power, according to leaked Russian military files that include training scenarios for an invasion by China.
Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, which can be delivered by land or sea-launched missiles or from aircraft, are designed for limited battlefield use in Europe and Asia, as opposed to the larger “strategic” weapons intended to target the US. Modern tactical warheads can still release significantly more energy than the weapons dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.
The classified papers describe a threshold for using tactical nuclear weapons that is lower than Russia has ever publicly admitted, according to experts who reviewed and verified the documents.
The cache consists of 29 secret Russian military files drawn up between 2008 and 2014, including scenarios for war-gaming and presentations for naval officers, which discuss operating principles for the use of nuclear weapons.
Criteria for a potential nuclear response range from an enemy incursion on Russian territory to more specific triggers, such as the destruction of 20 per cent of Russia’s strategic ballistic missile submarines.
Putin’s spokesperson said on Wednesday: “The main thing is that the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons is absolutely transparent and is spelled out in the doctrine. As for the documents mentioned, we strongly doubt their authenticity.”
It’s time to show Putin a map of the Mongolian empire in 1259, which thus shows China’s legitimate historical claims on land illegally occupied by Russia.
@ActivistPolentaNo Labels3mos3MO
You don't need to go that far back. Start with the Annexation of Amur in 1858 the excsising of Mongolia in 1911 (a Chinese domain at the time) and the parallel incoproration of parts of Chinese lands into what is now the Russian federal subject of the Republic of Tuva.
@P0pulistPaisleyRepublican3mos3MO
Haha well said.
Or at least a poorly written book from the late nineties.
With a trump in the White House what hope would the world have if this was allowed to happen
Surely this act would be in breach of international nuclear nonproliferation agreement?
So what happens now Mr Putin?
A race by the superpowers and wannabes to an interstellar arms race so we can just all blow each other up?
What a catastrophe
@HonorablePeacockMountain3mos3MO
The Doomsday Clock still rests at 90 seconds to midnight - 90 seconds to midnight, and yet so many commenters sound almost cavalier about the prospect of nuclear Armageddon.
Why is it that we seem to have learned so little from the last Cold War? Yet here we are again, only this time we seem to think that because we didn't stumble into Armageddon last time that there’s no reason to worry now!
"Putin denies . . ." That's sufficient warning by itself.
@LobbyBrandonDemocrat3mos3MO
Vladimir Putin affirms that saying that “Russia was categorically against” launching nuclear weapons. Given Putin's unblemished record with the truth, his categorical declaration can be translated to mean that Russia categorically will contaminate space with nukes. The only "if" concerns the timing.
The man is a cold-blooded psychopath.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
Would you support the use of tactical nuclear weapons if it was your country's last resort in a conflict?
@9CJ6CB63mos3MO
Absolutely not, I refuse to risk the future of humanity for any and all reasons. Unless someone was launching nukes themselves, the nuclear option must NEVER be used, and those that believe otherwise do not deserve the decency to be called kind.
@DirectBisonGreen3mos3MO
We must remember the devastating impacts of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The sheer scale of destruction, the immediate loss of life, and the long-term effects such as radiation sickness and generational genetic damage are a testament to the horrors of nuclear warfare. Moreover, the environmental impact is unthinkable, potentially rendering large swaths of our planet uninhabitable for centuries.
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