July 17, 2023

No to a Preventive Nuclear Strike


No to a Preventive Nuclear Strike
Topol-M missile system  Vitaly V. Kuzmin, Wikimedia Commons

Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy members have expressed their opposition to a potential preventive nuclear strike by Russia. In a collective statement titled "On Calls to Unleash a Nuclear War," they emphasize that humanity should never be subjected to blackmail through the use of nuclear weapons.

The document says, "It is extremely irresponsible to believe that a limited nuclear conflict can be managed and prevented from escalating into a global nuclear war." The statement's authors highlight the catastrophic consequences of such a conflict, including the potential destruction of millions of lives in Russia, Europe, China, and the United States. Additionally, they argue that Russia’s sovereignty would be compromised under the pressure exerted by surviving nations from the South.

Established in 1992 as a non-governmental public association, the Council aims to facilitate the development and implementation of strategic concepts for Russia’s overall development, foreign relations, and defense policy. The signatories of the appeal against a preventive strike include politicians, retired military personnel, and professors from prominent Russian universities. Their response comes in light of the increased discussion of a preemptive nuclear strike in Russia, particularly in the context of military setbacks in Ukraine.

According to the authors, such "pseudo-theoretical reasoning" and "emotional statements" are unacceptable, as they contribute to a mindset within a Russian society that could lead to "catastrophic decisions."

However, it is important to note that the Foreign and Defense Policy Council itself does not hold a unified stance on the threat of a nuclear preemptive strike. Sergey Karaganov, one of the council’s founders and a professor at the HSE, diverges from his colleagues and actively advocates for a nuclear strike on Europe, believing it could undermine the West’s resolve.

In recent years, Russian nuclear rhetoric has become more acute. In particular, in 2014, the General Director of the Rossiya Today agency and TV presenter Dmitriy Kiselyov said on his weekly current affairs show that "Russia can turn the United States into radioactive ashes," and, in 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that in a nuclear war Russia's opponents would "die" and Russians would go "straight to heaven."

Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the number of threats of nuclear weapons has only increased. Prominent figures such as former President Dmitriy Medvedev, political talk show host Vladimir Solovyov, and State Duma deputy Andrey Gurulev have all made menacing statements, issuing nuclear threats against Western nations.

You Might Also Like

Will NATO Say No?
  • July 08, 2023

Will NATO Say No?

On whether Ukraine will receive an invitation to join NATO next week.
Scared and Suspicious
  • July 04, 2023

Scared and Suspicious

Nearly half of Russians distrust official information regarding the war in Ukraine.
Fugitive No. 1
  • March 18, 2023

Fugitive No. 1

Russian President and Indicted War Criminal Vladimir Putin had a bad day.
War, Made Nuclear
  • March 06, 2023

War, Made Nuclear

Russia is developing a new type of military strategy to account for the use of nuclear weapons.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955