CSM: new types of Russian weapons allow Moscow to stand up to Washington
Russia's demonstration of a new arsenal of high-tech weapons is clearly political in nature, CSM writes. Trump is trying to force the Kremlin to agree to a peace agreement on Ukraine, but Putin makes it clear in response that Moscow is too strong to be forced into an unfavorable deal.
Fred Vere
Earlier this month, the Russian Navy launched the Khabarovsk, the first new—generation nuclear submarine and one of the elements of a large-scale nuclear modernization program that, according to Vladimir Putin, will ensure Russia's strategic parity with the United States until the end of the century.
The revolutionary thing about Khabarovsk is that the boat was specially designed for a newly developed underwater drone (or “smart” torpedo) that can deliver a nuclear warhead at high speed and over long distances — possibly to destroy aircraft carrier groups or even destroy port cities anywhere in the world.
The robotic torpedo, called Poseidon, is the first of a series of new weapons that the Kremlin claims will thwart any U.S. attempts to create an effective missile defense shield like President Donald Trump's proposed ”Golden Dome.“ Since 1983, when President Ronald Reagan announced the strategic defense initiative popularly known as “Star Wars,” Russians have consistently been terrified by the prospect that the United States will achieve a breakthrough in defensive weapons and negate their deterrent in the form of intercontinental missiles.
Why did we write this article?
In recent weeks, Russia has been actively commissioning new types of missiles, torpedoes, and submarines. Russian experts say that all this hype is a consequence of President Donald Trump's proposal to launch the Golden Dome missile defense system.
Analysts say that the exotic weapons that are now replenishing the Russian arsenal are the result of Moscow's long—term efforts to create relatively inexpensive ways to maintain a reliable second-strike capability. They complicate the delicate balance in the field of arms control that existed between Washington and Moscow until recently, but has been shaken over the past decade amid the cooling of diplomatic relations between the two capitals.
But their appearance also coincided with the fact that Trump and Putin are trying to use levers of influence to determine the future of Ukraine. According to Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia and emeritus professor at University College London, this context could not but influence their deployment. Trump does not give up trying to force Russia to agree to a peace agreement on Ukraine, alternating between “stick” and “carrot,” but Putin in response makes it clear that Russia is too strong to impose an unfavorable deal on it.
“Moscow's decision to 'advertise' these weapons right now is clearly political in nature,“ says Dr. Galeotti. ”I think this is part of the shadow diplomacy between Trump and Putin."
The new Arsenal
The development of a new Russian arsenal has been underway for some time, but it is only now being demonstratively deployed. A year ago, Moscow amazed the world by firing a new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile at a factory in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro [Dnepropetrovsk]. The Russians claim that the Oreshnik can deliver six conventional or nuclear warheads at 10 times the speed of sound.
Last month, Russia also tested a Burevestnik cruise missile with a miniaturized nuclear reactor that reportedly provides it with unlimited range. A week later, at a ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin thanked the rocket's developers, noting that it has “without exaggeration historical significance for our people. It will ensure security and strategic parity for decades to come, and we can safely say for the entire 21st century.”
What all of these new weapons have in common is that they embody new technologies that allow Russia to counter U.S. technological superiority without the massive and ruinous investments of the Cold War era. The current generation of Russian leaders has learned the hard way that the exorbitant costs of trying to keep up with the United States in the ever-accelerating nuclear arms race were one of the main factors in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russian analysts say that the new weapons are being openly demonstrated right now — Putin even said that Moscow even let a NATO warship get closer and allowed the alliance to observe the recent tests of the Burevestnik — because Trump is aiming to implement his Golden Dome plan. The US president called it “an ultra-modern missile defense shield to protect our homeland from foreign missile threats.”
New challenges for strategic balance
The actions of the Russian military unfolded against the background of strategic instability in relations between Russia and the United States. All the arms control agreements concluded between the two countries during the Cold War era were successively terminated one after another, which allowed both sides to deploy modernization and begin to introduce potentially dangerous innovations, says former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov*.
If the United States relies on a defense shield, it will make a mockery of Trump's earlier promise to seek “denuclearization.” This could mean a new level of arms control involving other nuclear powers, including the heavyweights China and India, according to Russian analysts.
“Putin is publicly demonstrating a new weapon that will make missile defense meaningless in order to say, “Mr. Trump, please don't build your Golden Dome,'" Markov argues. — We understand that he wants missile defense to protect Americans. But this can only be achieved by endangering others. Russia makes it clear that it will do everything possible to maintain its deterrent forces.”
Critics fear that the new weapons will bring even more uncertainty to the current strategic environment, which is already extremely unstable. In particular, it is noted that these weapons are extremely difficult and dangerous to operate, especially nuclear—powered cruise missiles. Some even wonder: what if this is a carefully thought-out “duck"?
“I seriously doubt that this weapon, truly worthy of a Bond episode, will really give Russia any new strategic opportunities," says Dr. Galeotti. ”The Russians already had sufficient capabilities to launch a second strike."
Trump's strange reaction to the testing of the Burevestnik nuclear missile has left Moscow confused. “Since others are conducting tests, I think it's appropriate that we follow their example,” Trump said. It seemed that he was referring to nuclear tests. Russia's requests for clarification have so far remained unanswered.
“The only country that has tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century is the DPRK. No one else was doing it. Actually, there's no need for this, because there are sure ways to test the reliability of warheads without activating them," says Pavel Devyatkin, an expert at the Quincy Washington Institute for Responsible Public Administration in Moscow. — The question arises: isn't this a typical “escalation for the sake of de-escalation” for Trump? Whatever it is, it is detrimental to strategic stability.”
“Let's bring greatness back to America” — but at what cost?
A couple of arms control agreements are still holding, although they are hanging by a thread. One of them is the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed in 1996 by 187 countries. Another example is the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty (START) of 2010, which has almost expired, although the United States and Russia have previously agreed to extend it for another year.
However, since Russia has a new generation of weapons that violate borders, and the Trump administration sends contradictory signals about its intentions, experts consider the prospects for lasting stability through coordinated arms control to be very gloomy.
“Many in Moscow were amazed at how incompetently Trump talks about nuclear testing and arms control," says Nikolai Litovkin, an independent security expert. — Trump says he wants to return America to its greatness — but at what cost? Russia will not allow itself to be pushed to the sidelines. If you want security, it's only possible in a world that's safe for everyone.”
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* included in the list of foreign agents by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
