Russia had planned how to target locations in Europe with missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons in the event of a potential conflict with NATO. This was reported two nights ago by the United Kingdom (UK) media, citing secret Russian files provided by Western sources.
According to the report, the documents from 2008 to 2014 contain a list of targets for missiles that could carry either conventional or tactical nuclear weapons. The files indicate that Russian officers highlighted the advantages of using nuclear weapons in the early stages of a conflict.
The maps, created for presentation purposes rather than operational use, show a pattern of 32 NATO targets in Europe for Russian naval fleets.
For example, potential targets for Russia’s Baltic Fleet are primarily located in Norway and Germany. In a presentation for an officer, which was created before the current large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, targets such as the western coast of France or the city of Barrow-in-Furness in the UK were also described.
Tactical nuclear weapons, which can be launched from land-based sites, ships, or aircraft, have a shorter range and are less destructive than strategic nuclear weapons intended for possible use against the United States (U.S.). However, it should be mentioned that tactical nuclear weapons can release significantly more energy than the bombs the U.S. dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.
The presentation also mentions the possibility of a so-called demonstration strike – a detonation of nuclear weapons in a remote area “at a moment of imminent danger of aggression,” that is, before an actual conflict, with the aim of intimidating Western countries. Russia has never acknowledged that its military doctrine includes such strikes.
The leaked documents further suggest that Moscow has retained the capability to carry tactical nuclear weapons on surface ships, despite the 1991 agreement between the Soviet Union and the U.S. for their removal.
Furthermore, recent Russian military exercises designed to practice the use of tactical nuclear weapons indicate that the leaked files are consistent with current Russian military doctrine.
In February, it was also reported – citing secret Russian military files – that Moscow had practiced the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the early stages of a conflict with a major world power. The threshold for using tactical nuclear weapons in Russia is much lower than publicly stated by Russian officials. Moreover, the latest revelations show how Russia envisioned a conflict with the West and planned a series of devastating attacks across Western Europe.
Analysts who reviewed the documents, said they are consistent with NATO’s assessment of the threat of long-range missile attacks by the Russian Navy and the speed at which Moscow would likely resort to using nuclear weapons.
According to the documents, Russia’s priority in the event of a conflict with NATO would be to “weaken the military and economic potential of the enemy.” This would mean, according to analysts, that Russia would attack civilian locations and critical infrastructure, as it is doing in Ukraine.
