Tactical nuclear weapons and the possibility of their appearance in Ukraine

Russian tactical missile operators during an exercise with R-300 class mobile missiles. Photo: Getty Images

According to al-Jazeera channel, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia will use all available means to protect its lands, including the recently annexed areas in Ukraine.

Commenting on the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said that President Putin is unlikely to use tactical nuclear weapons in the conflict with Ukraine. However, Mr. Biden said the Pentagon has a contingency plan in this case.

So what is a tactical nuclear weapon and why does it attract so much attention?

When do nuclear weapons become “tactical”?

Although there is no universal definition, tactical nuclear weapons are often characterized by their size, range, or use (e.g., for limited military purposes).

These weapons are often many times more powerful than conventional bombs, causing radioactive fallout and killing people not only in the explosion. The world has not yet agreed on what scale to call a tactical weapon.

Tactical nuclear weapons are often referred to as non-strategic weapons, as opposed to strategic weapons. The U.S. military defines strategic weapons as weapons that target an enemy's war-making capabilities and will to wage war, including production systems, infrastructure, transportation and communications, and other targets.

In contrast, tactical weapons are intended to achieve more limited and immediate military objectives in order to win a battle. The term is often used to describe weapons with lower explosive yields.

Tactical weapons can be mounted on missiles, air-dropped bombs, or even artillery shells with relatively short ranges, far less than intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can fly thousands of kilometers and hit targets across oceans.

“Tactical nuclear warheads give military commanders more flexibility on the battlefield,” said Alex Gatopoulos, a defense analyst at al-Jazeera. “In the mid-1950s, as the world built and tested more powerful thermonuclear bombs, military planners believed that smaller weapons with shorter ranges would be more useful in ‘tactical’ situations. Modern warheads have variable yield, meaning the operator can specify the explosive power, and tactical weapons can range from 1 kiloton to 50 kilotons. In terms of scale, the weapon that destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima had a yield of about 15 kilotons. One kiloton is equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT.”

Which country has tactical nuclear weapons?

Many of the world's nuclear powers have low-yield weapons or are using them on the battlefield.

According to a March report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), Russia has between 1,000 and 2,000 warheads for non-strategic nuclear weapons in its inventory.

President Putin has repeatedly warned the West that any attack on Russia could trigger a nuclear response.

He said the US set a precedent when it dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The US has about 230 non-strategic nuclear weapons, including about 100 B61 bombs deployed with aircraft in Europe.

This week, North Korea also conducted a missile test to simulate the scenario of dropping tactical nuclear weapons on South Korea.

Experts say if North Korea resumes nuclear testing, it could involve smaller warheads developed for the battlefield.

Could tactical nuclear weapons be used in Ukraine?

Tactical nuclear weapons have not been part of strategic thinking since the end of the Cold War in 1991.

But most of the calculations about how the United States and Russia would react to the use of nuclear weapons, according to Mr. Gatopoulos, stem from the Cold War and the fragile balance of power that kept the world safe but always in a state of fear.

Analysts say the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons to consolidate its position as a great power may increase in some cases in Ukraine.

For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Russia does not threaten to use nuclear weapons against any country.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that comments about the possibility of a Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine were just fantasy.

In an interview on October 13, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Venediktov said that Russian officials have never publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction.

According to Russia's nuclear doctrine, the country will use nuclear weapons only if an enemy uses these or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies. Second, if Russia has credible evidence of a ballistic missile launch against its territory or that of its allies. Third, if the Russian government or key military bases are attacked by an enemy with the aim of weakening the response capabilities of Russia's nuclear forces. Finally, Russia will deploy nuclear weapons if the country faces an existential threat from a conventional attack.