Leaked Russian military files have seemingly provided an insight into the situations in which the Kremlin would deem it necessary to unleash nuclear destruction.
The classified papers, seen by the Financial Times, consist of 29 files drawn up between 2008 and 2014 – the year of the illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea – and include war-gaming scenarios, analysis of the operating principles for the use of nuclear weapons and criteria for launching a nuclear attack.
The documents name factors that could lead to “failure to stop major enemy aggression”, including a major loss of Russian forces, among the scenarios that could lead Vladimir Putin to order a nuclear attack.
Nuclear horror could also be unleashed by the Russian president following the destruction of at least 20 percent of his country’s strategic ballistic missile submarines, 30 percent of its nuclear-powered attack submarines, three or more cruisers, three airfields, or a simultaneous hit on main and reserve coastal command centres, the publication claimed while referring to the papers.
Tactical nuclear weapons could also be used to prevent Russia from losing territories or battles, making its navy “more effective” and deterring other nations from launching an attack or escalating a military conflict, the leaked documents show.
While these documents are at least a decade old, they appear to still be in line with the Russian nuclear doctrine mentioned in 2023 by Putin.
The Russian leader noted there are two instances in which the Kremlin would currently use nuclear weapons – retaliation against a nuclear strike coming from an enemy state and if the existence of Russia as a state was to come under threat even through the use of conventional weapons.
Responding to the report on the leaked documents, Putin’s spokesperson said on Wednesday: “The main thing is that the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons is absolutely transparent and is spelled out in the doctrine. As for the documents mentioned, we strongly doubt their authenticity.”
Putin is the only person in Russia with the authority to order a nuclear strike.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, hardliners in Moscow have mentioned the nuclear doctrine and armaments as a threat against the West.
Former Russian President and current deputy chairman of his country’s security council Dmitry Medvedev said in January a Ukrainian attack on Russian missile launch sites carried out with arms supplied by Western allies could lead to a nuclear response.
Medvedev had previously said trying to maim the integrity of the Russian state – including the regions of Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow in recent years – could breach Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
Russia also concerned the West by claiming last year to have moved tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, its closest ally in Europe.
Tactical nuclear weapons are designed to be used on the battlefield and have a relatively short range and a yield as small as a kiloton. For comparison, the US bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945 measured 15-kiloton in energy.
Russia and the US are the countries holding the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal. While Putin controls around 5,889 nuclear warheads, US President Joe Biden is in charge of some 5,244, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
