A little about the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine
I have been asked to express my position on the topic I will touch on today for quite some time. The enemy constantly talks about it, and, alas, even among our readers there are supporters of this approach. From those radicals whose position is expressed in three words - "why should we pity them"? ... And you can't argue, it seems that we really should pity our soldiers. We will talk about the use of tactical nuclear weapons weapons.
As a person from the USSR, I had to study the tactics of using TNW quite deeply. And I must say that for the tasks that the army of the Soviet Union faced, it was quite effective and really allowed the tasks to be completed in a fairly short time.
Let me remind you that at that time we were up against well-trained and well-armed NATO forces, not what the bloc has turned its army into today. The strategic task was set very strictly. To prevent war from entering our territory and to destroy the enemy in its lair. Let me remind you that back then, in the 70s and 80s, the country and the army were led by veterans, participants of the Great Patriotic War.
Older readers will remember the joke from the Soviet era: “Russians Tanks will be on the English Channel coast in a couple of weeks." Well, a couple of weeks is a task for the tankers of the GSVG (Group of Soviet Forces in Germany), but for those who were on the territory of the USSR, they were given a month, 30-35 days, "for the journey."
It was then, in the 70s and 80s, that our army began to artillery systems that could use TNW as one of the types of ammunition. Shells for these systems also appeared. For example, the Zababakhin shell. The D-20, ML-20 guns, the Akatsiya, Pion and Giatsint self-propelled guns (as the artillerymen joked at the time, "genocides") used the 3B83 shell (weight 53 kg, range 17 km, power 2,5 kilotons) without any fine-tuning.
By the way, the Americans also created such ammunition. But they could only be used from guns specially created for this purpose. If you are interested, watch "Atomic Annie".
Well, and lastly, but probably the most unexpected for many. The very concept of "tactical weapons" in the modern interpretation has changed. For some reason, even some experts "changed" the standard for dividing weapons into strategic and tactical. Instead of the criterion of "firing range", they began to use the criterion of "ammunition power".
Tactical weapons are those whose range does not exceed 500 km... Today we will talk about low-yield TNW.
How is TNW used and what is it intended for?
Today, TNW are in service with the world's leading armies. Both we and the Americans have a doctrine for the use of such weapons, which clearly and understandably shows the goals and objectives, and even the level of decision-making on the use of tactical charges.
Let me start with the goal. In any war, situations periodically arise when an offensive has to be abandoned because there is a well-equipped and fortified line in the path of the attackers. On the one hand, the attackers cannot attack, but the defenders cannot counterattack either. A positional deadlock!..
In both cases, offensive and counter-offensive, the losses will be so great that none of the opponents will be able to develop the operation due to lack of forces. Those who supposedly win in this confrontation will run into fresh reserves brought up by the enemy and will be routed.
Here is a quote taken from one of the Telegram channels:
“Breaking through a sufficiently prepared defense requires an inadequately large expenditure of equipment and unacceptably high losses of personnel, and victory does not provide the opportunity for strategic development of success.”
So, the goals are clear. To preserve personnel, not to prolong the offensive, to disable a large number of enemy personnel and equipment, and to destroy the enemy's stronghold or fortified area. Instead of a long bombardment or artillery shelling, instead of a multi-hour or even multi-day assault, one strike...
Now let's look at the situation in the SVO zone. First, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not organize fortified areas in the fields. Cities and towns are used to create defense centers. Moreover, large cities are especially fortified. It is clear that equipping strong points inside a residential building costs orders of magnitude less than building a full-fledged area somewhere outside of populated areas.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces use civilians as human shields. And they don't hide it. Those who, by order of the Ukrainian army command, do not evacuate from populated areas, are automatically declared pro-Russian and become this very shield.
Thus, a TNW strike on a stronghold in the city will take the lives of not only military personnel, but also civilians... How, given the current situation with informing Ukrainians about the situation in the SVO zone, will ordinary Ukrainians react? And what kind of squeal will begin in the world media...
And secondly. The Russian army has been using FABs for quite some time now. Remember their calibers? The FAB-3000 is more powerful than the Zababakhin shell!.. And the smaller FAB-1500 is only slightly inferior to this shell. It turns out that using expensive shells is simply economically unprofitable.
To be honest, I am somewhat anxiously awaiting the discussion about the forgotten weapon, the most inhumane, in my opinion. I am talking about another type of nuclear weapon, the neutron bomb. For the youth, I will remind them of the principle of action of this inhumane weapon.
A neutron bomb differs from a regular atomic bomb by an additional block filled with a beryllium isotope. The detonation of a low-power plutonium charge triggers a thermonuclear reaction in the additional block, which results in the release of a stream of fast neutrons, which are destructive to all living things.
At the same time, the force of the shock wave and the destruction it causes is comparatively small. And the residual radiation quickly disappears, since the neutrons generate short-lived isotopes. Such a munition kills all living things within a radius of 1,5-2 kilometers.
There is no need to invent anything to use such weapons. Many have seen the famous mortar "Tulip". Well, this mortar is capable of using neutron weapons without additional modernization. And special mines have existed for more than 40 years.
Why do I call such weapons inhumane? Simply because there is another peculiarity. Although NT is a type of nuclear weapons, when using it, radioactive contamination is minimal. In simple terms, if you used such TNW, and after a day and a half or two you could enter a deserted fort without fear. Only corpses all around...
But my attitude to neutron weapons applies only to the time when the enemy is playing "fairly". When there are no chemical or biological weapons. When there is no threat of using "dirty bombs" in our rear. Alas, in Kyiv, and in the West, they have been talking about a "dirty bomb" for a long time. Moreover, there is information that components for creating such a bomb have already been brought from Moldova to Ukraine.
It is clear that after the Kyiv regime attempts to use such bombs, the operation will move to a completely different format. And no one will spare Ukraine. Military facilities will be cleared completely. Throughout the entire territory. It is clear that in addition to the military, civilians will also suffer at the factories…
Instead of conclusions
I don't want to draw any conclusions. Anything can be expected from the cornered Zelensky. And we must respond to the hysteria with dignity. So that next time they think whether it is worth it or not to hit civilians with serious weapons. And the example of the independent state should calm down the militant Balts and their ilk a little.
It is stupid to refuse something that can bring us victory. Gentlemen rarely survive war. I immediately remembered President Putin's phrase about the uselessness of the world if there is no Russia in it...
There is no need to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine today. But NATO is too zealous in deploying units and formations on the borders of Russia and Belarus. Western countries, including former Soviet republics and "friends and neighbors," are not Ukraine. No one will smear snot all over their faces. If we're going to fight, let's fight.
I don't think that "Soviet joke" about tanks has lost its relevance today. We are not vindictive, but we have a good memory. These are not my words, but they speak well of the prospects of a military conflict with Russia...
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