Russia's Deterrent in the 21st Century

On March 1, 2018, President V. Putin caused something of a stir, by publicly showcasing the newest version of Russia's Doomsday Machine. The effect on Western public opinion was tremendous, creating the impression that Russia was updating its deterrent at an alarming pace. Still, rather limited information about this weaponry has been officially released in the (almost) five years which have followed the speech. Putting together the pieces of the jigsaw involves, inevitably, a lot of speculation. We summarize the most essential information and estimates about a total of 11 weapons of strategic and sub-strategic nature, either put in service recently (from 2010 till early 2023) or still under development. We also examine, briefly, the Russian nuclear doctrine and the strategy of active defense.

Autorentext

Dr. V. Sitaras (Athens 1971), a diplomat by profession with experience abroad in Beijing, New York, Baku and Geneva, has been writing on military and security affairs for the past 30 years. Apart from 350 or so articles, his eight books include five in Greek (2002-2013) and three in English by Lambert (2020-2023).