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- Game to lose: NATO nuclear exercises will provoke retaliatory steps by the Russian Federation
Game to lose: NATO nuclear exercises will provoke retaliatory steps by the Russian Federation
On October 13, NATO begins the Steady Noon nuclear deterrent exercise. Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte called them a signal to a "potential adversary." Such exercises are a dangerous development of the situation, provoking a response not only from the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation told Izvestia. This year, Finland joined the number of participants in the exercises for the second time. Meanwhile, earlier, on the order of the British Ministry of Defense, the American analytical center released a report on "Russian strategic culture" and scenarios of a low-intensity nuclear conflict. Experts are sure that such studies are being done in order to ensure that as much money as possible is allocated to the military-industrial complex. In addition, they should provoke panic among the population of European countries in order to strengthen the position of the "hawks".
NATO nuclear Deterrent exercises
On October 13, the annual NATO nuclear deterrent exercises "Steady Noon" will start. They will last until October 26. The bloc's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, said the purpose of the exercises was to send a "clear signal" to a potential adversary. At the same time, it is very clear who is considered an opponent for the North Atlantic Alliance.
Such exercises are a clear example of the fact that NATO is not a defensive alliance, but an offensive one, Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. He added that aggressive actions come exclusively from NATO, as has happened throughout the post-Cold War period. Moscow, for example, has repeatedly called on the North Atlantic Alliance to stop the expansion of military infrastructure to the East and to stop the integration of countries bordering the Russian Federation.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
— This is an extremely dangerous development of the situation, which, naturally, cannot but provoke a response and reciprocal steps. And, I think, not only from Russia. It affects global security issues, that is, we are talking about nuclear weapons. And we understand all subsequent scenarios when the response will be presented as some kind of proactive and aggressive actions by those countries that will respond," the senator said.
As a result, the potential of nuclear weapons is spreading to ever-larger spaces, including beyond the borders of NATO countries, Kosachev stressed.
Russia, of course, can respond by conducting its own exercises, military expert Alexei Leonkov, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, told Izvestia.
"We already have annual strategic exercises involving, among other things, nuclear forces, and surprise inspections of our strategic nuclear forces, our nuclear triad," he said.
Its combat capability has been updated by 99%, Leonkov added, noting that no NATO country can boast of such a result.
Moscow has a plan for the combat use of strategic nuclear forces, said Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine and military analyst. According to him, Moscow also needs to create a command of non-strategic nuclear forces in order to diversify the possibility of strikes in the event of a major conflict.
This time, Finland is participating in the exercises for the second year in a row. She will send several planes and her staff officers. Helsinki explains its participation by the logic of inclusion in NATO's nuclear planning after joining the alliance. But this creates additional threats for Russia, said Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Political and Military Conflicts.
— The Finnish infrastructure will be used for these exercises. Finnish pilots will gain experience in using bombs to complete tasks. There are no nuclear weapons in Finland yet, but after the exercises, the Americans can place them there for storage. This is very close to our northern territories," the expert explained to Izvestia.
At the same time, the NATO exercises themselves are primarily aimed at the military and political leadership of Russia, Klintsevich is sure. During such events, pilots learn how to work with protocols for the use of nuclear weapons. In the current conditions of geopolitical tension, such maneuvers are a very serious signal, the expert concluded.
Provocative report for the British Ministry of Defense
NATO explains its actions with threats that do not exist. At the same time, analytical centers help to foment hysteria. For example, the American company RAND (recognized as an undesirable organization in Russia by the decision of the Prosecutor General's Office), commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense, conducted an unusual study. The report "Russian Strategic Culture and Low-intensity nuclear conflict" examines the possibility of our country using tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) in the context of the Ukrainian conflict.
The study suggests expanding the practical understanding of Russian strategic culture in NATO countries in order to more accurately assess the logic of Russia's nuclear deterrence and build the alliance's responses. The authors link the role of tactical nuclear weapons in Moscow's planning to historical, political and ideological factors and consider them as a tool for managing escalation in European crises. In a number of simulated scenarios, it is assumed that the limited use of TNW by Russia may pursue not only defensive goals, but also compel the enemy to cease hostilities or negotiate on terms favorable to Moscow.
Western institutions often serve as lobbyists who fulfill the order of military-industrial corporations, Oleg Karpovich, vice-rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia. This explains their final recommendations — to allocate as much money as possible to their military-industrial complex. In addition, many of them are associated with various political forces and deliberately provoke panic among the population in order to strengthen the position of unpopular "hawks" in peacetime, he added.
— We calmly react to such provocations, but we are aware that it is necessary to respond to the corresponding threats with the full degree of responsibility. Russia has always given priority to the use of peaceful means, primarily diplomacy, to resolve international disputes and conflicts, and to resolve them based on mutual respect, compromise, and a balance of legitimate interests," Oleg Karpovich said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the plenary session of the XXII Annual Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club
Consideration of such reports should be based on the optics of creating a "working environment" to obtain potential financing for supplies from leading military companies, agrees Ilya Shcherbakov, an employee of the Department of International Relations and Integration Processes at the Faculty of Political Science at Moscow State University.
— These reports ideologically continue the line promoted by representatives of such a field of research in Western countries as Sovietology (during the existence of the USSR). And in general, the topic of the threat from the East always remains universal and convenient for the countries of Europe and the United States in terms of promoting their foreign policy interests," the expert concluded.
Vladimir Putin called the "mantra" of European politicians about a possible war with Russia nonsense during the Valdai forum.
— Most people in Europe cannot understand why they are so afraid of Russia that in order to confront it they need to tighten their belts and forget about their own interests, just surrender them, and pursue a policy clearly to their detriment. But the ruling elites of the united Europe continue to whip up hysteria. It turns out that the war with the Russians is almost on the threshold. They repeat this nonsense, this mantra over and over again," the president said.
Russia has no plans to use nuclear weapons
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that nuclear weapons for the Russian Federation are an extreme measure to protect the country. During the conflict in Ukraine, such a need did not arise and, as the president hopes, will not arise. At the same time, Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons if such strikes are carried out against Russia or Belarus, as well as in situations of direct armed aggression against the Russian Federation.
The use of nuclear weapons by Russia, for example, is possible if the Kaliningrad region is blocked by NATO troops, Korotchenko noted. The disparity in the military component, when the alliance outnumbers the Russian Federation by four times in terms of the number of troops, can only be compensated by tactical or strategic nuclear weapons, he believes.
At the same time, NATO is constantly talking about the nuclear threat from Russia and at the same time trying to escalate the situation. Poland, in particular, has asked the United States to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory. In the case of a positive decision by Washington, this would mean the appearance of strategic weapons right on the borders of Belarus, which is part of the Union State with Russia.
Moreover, NATO remains deliberately ambiguous about the use of nuclear weapons. The main reason for such a radical step is the threat to the "fundamental security" of the allies, but what exactly will be considered this threat is unknown. Key decisions should be made in the North Atlantic Council, and the core platform for this topic is the Nuclear Planning Group.
At the same time, in September, Vladimir Putin proposed to Donald Trump that he voluntarily maintain the limits of strategic nuclear weapons for another year after the end of START III in February 2026. The American leader called it a good idea.
In total, Washington has about 5,200 warheads in various states at its disposal. About 1,700 strategic warheads and 200 tactical warheads have been deployed. Part of the arsenal is located in Europe. In addition to Washington, France and the United Kingdom possess nuclear weapons there, and their number of warheads is estimated at 290 and 225 in the military reserve, respectively. It is worth noting that these figures are conditional, since some of the warheads are deployed, some are in reserve, and some are in military reserve.
But it is also important to understand the difference between strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. The second has a shorter range and less power. The number of non-strategic nuclear weapons is not being counted, as their number does not cover international treaties.
And there were no attempts to limit TNW in the treaties, only unilateral steps to reduce arsenals by the USSR and the United States in the early 1990s were recorded, Oleg Krivolapov, head of the ISKRAN military and Political Research department, Candidate of Political Sciences, told Izvestia. However, according to him, the risk of using tactical nuclear weapons may increase due to miscalculations and misunderstandings of intentions between the participants in the confrontation.
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