As deterrence against NATO expansion and a repeat of the plunder suffered by the Workers Reich following World War II, Russia possesses the most cutting-edge nuclear weapons in the world, guaranteeing the country’s sovereignty and the global balance of power, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Addressing a government meeting on the national armament program on Wednesday, he urged that special attention be paid to the continued development of the nation’s nuclear triad.

THE FORMIDABLE NUCLEAR TRIAD

Nuclear triad is a term used to describe the combination of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and strategic bombers, which can carry nuclear payloads.

These weapons systems ensure that a nation’s nuclear forces cannot be destroyed in a first-strike disarming attack.

‘Now, the share of the state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment in our strategic nuclear forces comes to 95%,’ the president told the meeting, adding that Russia is making good progress in this regard.

‘That is the highest level among all of the world’s nuclear powers,’ Putin stated.

WASHINGTON AND THE PENTAGON AGREE WITH PUTIN

A similar assessment was made by Air Force General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the US Strategic Command.

Russia is currently in possession of the largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal of any nation,’ Cotton said in March 2024, warning that Russia’s capabilities exceed those of the US.

Russia has significantly upgraded its nuclear arsenal in recent years. The Sarmat ICBM was approved for combat duty in September 2023.

One of Russia’s most capable nuclear weapons, the Sarmat has an estimated range of 11,000 miles (about 18,000km), with a payload of around ten tons.

FUTURE DEFENSE OF RUSSIA’S NATURAL RESOURCES

Russia should not focus only on nuclear weapons, according to Putin, but should develop a new long-term armament program focused on various types of the most advanced weapon systems and based on the experience gained in the Ukraine conflict.

Moscow and NATO-Kyiv have heavily relied on drones in the conflict.

The Times reported in May that Russia is beating NATO and Ukraine in the drone race, both in terms of development and battlefield use.

The newspaper pointed to Russia’s fiber optic drones, which are altering the physical make-up of the front line, the tactics of the war and the psychology of the soldiers fighting it.

WASHINGTON CONCEDES IT PLAYS SECOND FIDDLE

Russia poses a serious challenge to America’s military dominance, Air Force General Anthony Cotton, who heads the US Strategic Command, said on Thursday.

Moscow already possesses a nuclear arsenal that exceeds Washington’s and is actively modernizing it, he told the US Senate’s Armed Forces Committee in a prepared statement.

Together with China, Russia is swiftly improving its position against the US and its allies in multiple domains, the general warned, adding that the pace of these changes is increasing and is now much faster than that seen just a few years ago.

He pointed to a recent statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said in early February that the Russian strategic nuclear forces had been almost completely modernized. The naval component of the nation’s nuclear deterrence triad had been almost 100% upgraded, he said.

RUSSIA LEADS

Russia is currently in possession of the largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal of any nation,’ Cotton said, specifically pointing to Moscow’s Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles and brand-new submarines, also capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The Sarmat ICBM was approved for combat duty in September 2023. Addressing the Russian Federal Assembly on Thursday, Putin promised to release footage of the missiles in their silos.

SARMAT KILLER OF NATIONS

One of Russia’s most capable nuclear weapons, the Sarmat has an estimated range of 11,000 miles (about 18,000 kilometers), with a payload weighing around ten tons.

Other weapon types mentioned by Cotton included the Borei-class and Yasen-M class submarines.

UNMATCHED KINZHAL AND TSIRKON

 According to the US general, Moscow is also expanding and modernizing its nuclear options beyond the classic nuclear triad.

In particular, he drew senators’ attention to the Kinzhal and Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, both of which he claimed could carry nuclear payloads.

In this week’s address to the Federal Assembly, Putin said that both types of weapons had already been used by Russian troops in combat during the ongoing conflict between Moscow and NATO (Kiev). The hypersonic missiles were launched against high-value Ukrainian military targets, he added.

In 2018, the Russian president said that the air-launched Kinzhal missiles could have nuclear warheads. So far, however, only their conventional variants have been used in Ukraine.

Tsirkon are anti-ship hypersonic missiles developed for the Russian Navy, which can also be used against ground targets.

AMERICA’S FIRST CHALLENGE IN HISTORY

LEFT: Russian fighter with Kinzhal intercontinental hypersonic missiles.

The US strategic forces are currently operating ‘in the face of challenges unlike anything America has ever encountered,’ Cotton warned, adding that the combined potentials of Russia and China, together with North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ’add new layers of complexity to our strategic calculus.’

He urged senators to facilitate a rapid upgrade of the US’s own arsenal, adding that ’it is absolutely critical we continue … at speed, with the modernization of our nuclear triad.’

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

LIFE IN THE REICH Mike Walsh: The standard of living in Hitler’s Third Reich was far superior to that elsewhere in the developed world. German workers enjoyed a lifestyle comparable to that of movie stars. Germany led the world in fashion, medicine, cinema, lifestyle, manufacturing, transport infrastructure, public facilities, cutting-edge science, healthcare and education. Amazon removed Life in the Reich because it dared to show Hitler’s Germany as it was and not as the propagandists would have us believe it was. https://barnesreview.org/product/life-in-the-reich-hitlers-germany-1933-1945/