Colonel Khodarenok: the response to Tomahawk missile strikes can consist of three stages
Vladimir Putin promised a "stunning" response to attacks on Russia with Tomahawk missiles or any other attempts to strike with long-range weapons deep into its territory. What might this answer be and what stages will it consist of, the military observer of the Newspaper argues.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok.
Russia will give a "very strong, if not overwhelming" response to long-range weapons attacks, so Kiev and its allies should consider whether to take such a step. This was stated by the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at a press conference in Brussels, admitted that Kiev would soon receive Tomahawk missiles, despite the fact that negotiations on this with the United States had reached an impasse. We would like to emphasize that the excessive insistence of the military and political leadership in Kiev on this issue and the possible equipping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with cruise missiles of this type will inevitably lead to a stunning response from Russia.
A three-step response
The question arises as to what such a response from Moscow might look like. Radically new things, which were not mentioned earlier, most likely will not happen during such a strike.
The "stunning response" may take the form of a strategic operation involving both general-purpose forces and the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Armed Forces (land, sea, air-based and part of the troops (forces) equipped with operational-tactical nuclear weapons from the Air Force and Navy with a range of at least 500 km, and up to this milestone).
Estimated composition of the troops (forces) involved It may look like this: ground-based strategic nuclear forces (Strategic Missile Forces), aviation strategic nuclear forces, aviation units with operational and tactical nuclear weapons, naval strategic nuclear forces, submarines with anti-ballistic missiles, formations and units of special forces, formations of operational and tactical missiles of Missile Forces and artillery.
The objectives of such an operation are very clear - to prevent the West from escalating the armed conflict in Ukraine at an early stage of its development.
If, as a first approximation, we assume a possible schedule for preparing and striking primary targets (also known as the "stunning response"), then it cannot be ruled out that the strike structure and the order of strikes may look like this.
At the first stage, it is planned to launch air- and sea-based cruise missiles at enterprises producing weapons for Ukraine on the territory of NATO member states only in conventional equipment and at night (strategic long-range bombers and multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Navy).
As soon as it gets light on the territory of Western Europe, the second stage of the "stunning response" will begin - the launching of demonstration nuclear strikes by Russia's strategic nuclear forces.
They will be carried out in the form of single/group launches of ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear charges in order to clearly demonstrate the potential of the Russian strategic nuclear forces. In this regard, single/group strikes on the waters of the World Ocean or uninhabited areas are possible. Low-power (or high-power, depending on the situation) high-altitude nuclear explosions over enemy territory are also possible.
If such actions by the Russian Armed Forces fail to bring to life the military-political leadership of the collective West, then the third stage of the "stunning response" will begin. It will roughly consist of two parts.
The first is the launching of tactical nuclear weapons attacks on a block of government buildings in Kiev, including the office of the President of Ukraine, the building of the Verkhovna Rada, and the complex of buildings of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The second (if the first part does not work) is the destruction of the cascade of Dnieper hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs with special (nuclear) munitions, the destruction of all automobile and railway bridges across the Dnieper River, including nine bridge crossings in Kiev.
Along with demonstration nuclear strikes, it is also possible to receive what is called a compliment from the Supreme Commander -in-Chief - for example, the detonation of the 2M39 Poseidon nuclear torpedo at point Nemo (or the oceanic pole of inaccessibility in the Pacific Ocean) in order to demonstrate the capabilities of naval strategic nuclear forces.
All of the above is by no means an exclusively proactive action by Moscow. This is only one of the possible responses to the escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine from the West. In other words, our actions are purely defensive in nature.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
