Russia publishes it's nuclear doctrinal guidance for the first time.

[ikalugin]

This document replaces the classified 2010 document and is quite interesting to see, particularly in the section 19 where the conditions under which Russia may use nuclear weapons are described.

Those are the following:
- detection of a ballistic missile launch (no specification of launcher, range, payload type, this is interesting in context of post INF deployements, LYT program, C-PGS program).
- a WMD attack on Russian or allied soil.
- an effect that affects critical civilian or military infrastructure for nuclear C3.
- a massed conventional attack that threatenes the existance of the state.


More can be found here:
http://russianforces.org/blog/2020/0...ar_deter.shtml

[feld]

Originally Posted by ikalugin

- an effect that affects critical civilian or military infrastructure for nuclear C3

Wow. "If someone cyberattacks our nuclear c3 architecture badly enough we launch."
Am I reading that right?

Don't mistake me. It makes sense strategically.

But still...wow.

[ikalugin]

Originally Posted by feld

Wow. "If someone cyberattacks our nuclear c3 architecture badly enough we launch."
Am I reading that right?

Don't mistake me. It makes sense strategically.

But still...wow.

Yes, there is ambiguity in terms of which specific infrastructure and which specific effects are being discussed.