Escalation and Nuclear Weapons in Russia’s Military Strategy

Abstract

The assessment that Russia envisages limited nuclear first use, potentially including low-yield nuclear weapons, as a coercive advantage over a symmetrical adversary has contributed to justify additional capabilities in the US nuclear arsenal. Contrary to the critics’ claims, Katarzyna Zysk shows that the Russian military strategy has been corroborated in strategic documents and official statements, defence acquisition programmes and deployments, and operational pattern.