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 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.

 
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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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. 

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.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

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