- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
Cold War Arms Race Part 2: Electric Boogaloo
And 99% of that budget was just straight up stolen.
So….
Because Putin said it we can believe it to be a lie? Awesome!
“Only 5% of Russian Strategic Nuclear Capabilities Have Been Modernized”
FTFY
yeah coming from putin my firs thought it is must be 5%
Dubious, but even if true, not a particularly useful utilization of resources.
I think he’s trying to get that soft power he used to have where he could make threats and the west would appease him to some degree to avoid nuclear war.
Though IMO whether the nuclear arsenal is working or not, those bluffs should be called each time, otherwise that line will keep getting pushed until it reaches the point where a demand cannot be met or compromised and then we’re in the same spot we’d be if we had just called the first bluff, except Putin also has the benefit of each previous appeasement.
How do you call a nuclear bluff?
When they say, “don’t do x or we will nuke you”, assume they won’t decide to end civilization unless x is “launch nukes” or “destroy Russia”. The only way they will launch nukes if they aren’t facing destruction themselves is if they think they can survive the response.
You are assuming that the Russian leadership is rational and well informed. I think the war against Ukraine has clearly shown that it’s neither.
Yet Putin hasn’t used any tactical or strategic nukes so far during this war.
deleted by creator
After the fall of the USSR so many of their nukes
went missingwere grabbed by former party members and sold off to the highest bidders for fissilable materials to start nuclear programs of their own and to make the sellers rich (cough the new group of Oligarghs whose wealth seemingly showed up overnight).