This article is not intended to address the potential for “strategic” nuclear war between Russia and any other party. That is a different subject entirely, and something for further examination elsewhere. What I want to discuss today is the most important ways in which the Russian military and political view of limited nuclear warfare differs greatly from that of its western counterparts.

It seems to be a growing element within western society to forget the lessons learned in the past with regards to military doctrines in general, and nuclear warfare in specific. Granted, those of us who grew up during the cold war with the Soviet Union all remember being intimately familiar with many aspects of warfare and military doctrine. It was part of our cultural identity at the time, and 80s kids used to be able to rattle off the real-world stats of various jet fighters and tanks like little walking Jane’s manuals.

Today, that has changed. The recent generations haven’t really had much to do with a proper nation-state versus nation-state war since the Vietnam War. Iraq, Afghanistan and the like do serve as some examples, but more for the idea of restrained warfare as opposed to actual “all-out” war between so-called “great Powers.”. The world just hasn’t seen much of that since World War Two, and so people have grown up ignorant of the truth of military history, strategy, and technology, especially as they relate to national doctrines.

And that is a problem, because such misunderstanding results in opinions and positions being held wildly that are so far off the mark of reality as to be dangerous.