Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal and thus intimidates NATO, American journalist Mark Episkopos said in an article in the National Interest magazine.
According to him, the Russian armed forces have from three to six thousand units of such weapons and are constantly upgrading them. We are talking about warheads inherited from the USSR and the latest tactical complexes of recent years.
"There is one aspect of Russian military planning that is unlikely to change in the near future — this is Moscow's desire to rely on tactical nuclear weapons as the main deterrent against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," said Episkopos.
He added that most of the weapons are used in the fleet, the journalist drew attention to the latest multi-purpose submarines of the project 885M "Ash-M" and the frigate of the project 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov". According to him, Moscow does not intend to use these weapons for an offensive, but they are seen as a deterrent and a way for Russia to "play by the general rules in the event of an all-out war that no one wants."
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia will respond to the actions of NATO countries in the western strategic direction and will form about 20 new formations and units in the Western Military District (ZVO). The head of the ministry explained that there is an increase in the military threat in this area: according to him, the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, led by the United States, are increasingly conducting exercises, increasing the intensity of strategic aviation flights and the number of ships equipped with cruise missiles.
Marina Sovina
