March 06, 2023

War, Made Nuclear


War, Made Nuclear
A tactical exercise with the withdrawal of the Topol mobile ground-based missile system in the Serpukhov branch of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

According to an article published in Voennaya Mysl, Russia's main military theoretical magazine published by the Ministry of Defense, Russian military experts are developing a new military strategy that would foresee the use of nuclear weapons. The article's author is the first deputy commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Fazletdinov.   

The author claims that "the United States is gradually losing its leading position in the world," and that Russia is "the main obstacle to the preservation of world dominance and the main enemy." Fazletdinov asserts that the Pentagon intends to "defeat" Russia, and plans to conduct a "global strategic multi-sphere operation" for this purpose.

To counteract such plans, Russian military experts are elaborating new types of military operations for strategic deterrence. According to the article, such operations will include repelling a massive aerospace attack by the US and NATO, suppressing the US missile defense system, and inflicting "unacceptable damage" to the enemy with the help of Russian nuclear forces. The article emphasizes that nuclear weapons are "the cheapest means of deterrence from the final destabilization of relations between the parties and the outbreak of hostilities."

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 Dmitry 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. Putin claimed he would use "all available means to protect Russia and our people," ordered Russia's nuclear forces onto high alert, and suspended Russia's participation in a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States.

You Might Also Like

Not That Way
  • February 26, 2023

Not That Way

Vladimir Putin revoked a 2012 decree aimed at economic integration with the EU and supporting Moldovan sovereignty.
An Escalating Strategy
  • November 07, 2022

An Escalating Strategy

Russia has begun training its army for the event of a nuclear weapon deployed on its home territory.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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