Russia's nuclear weapons terrify NATO - media

Russia's largest tactical nuclear weapons stockpile in the world should terrify NATO, national security reporter for the National Interest Mark Episkopos writes.

The composition of Russia’s military has changed significantly in recent decades, with several of its service branches undergoing a post-Soviet transition into a lean, heavily modernized fighting force.

At around 3,000 to 6,000 units, Russia possesses the largest tactical nuclear weapons stockpile in the world. These include not only warheads inherited from the Soviet Union but new and potent weapons systems developed in recent years.

"If there is one aspect of Russian military planning that’s unlikely to shift anytime soon, it's Moscow’s continued reliance on tactical nuclear weapons as a core deterrent against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)," Episkopos believes.

A great chunk of Russia's tactical weapons are operated by the Navy, he said. "Russian military doctrine sees tactical nuclear warheads as a hedge against NATO--not only a deterrent but one of Russia’s only means of leveling the playing field in the mutually undesired event of an all-out war," the author explained.