Russia's standard for using nuclear weapons is:
--arrival of reliable data on a launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territory of Russia and/or its allies (i.e. a launch on warning)
--use of nuclear weapons or other types of weapons of mass destruction by an adversary against Russia and/or its allies
--attack by an adversary against critical government or military sites of Russia, disruption of which would undermine nuclear force response actions (i.e. a so-called decapitation strike against the political and military leadership)
--aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.
As an aside, yeah, I worry about that launch-on-warning trigger. Which is why I opposed muddying the water between our strategic and tactical nukes.
America isn't going to nuke Russia in a first strike. America isn't going to use any other type of WMD on Russia. America isn't going to attempt a decapitation strike on Russia. America is in no position to invade Russia let alone threaten the existence of the Russian state.
What about China?
I don't think China is in position to launch a first strike unless China has way more nukes than we think they have. I don't see China launching any other WMD--other than pandemics--at Russia. And I don't see China as having the capability of launching a decapitation strike.
But the last one is interesting. If China invades Russia to capture the land that Russia took from China in the 19th century is that a threat to the very existence of the Russian state?
Not technically. But it would be a threat to Russia's pretense to be a global power in Europe and Asia if Russia lost that territory.
If Russia is reduced to a regional European great power, does that meet the criteria? When Putin has said that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a horrible historical event, that might be the case.
Is this standard aimed at China?
And a more interesting question is whether a public nuclear doctrine statement is designed to get people to assume Russia has a strategic nuclear force that needs a doctrine.
