Russia trained various scenarios of Chinese invasion and practiced the use of tactical nuclear weapons in case of necessity.
This is reported by the Financial Times.
The confidential documents describe a threshold for the use of tactical nuclear weapons that is lower than Russia has ever publicly acknowledged. This secret cache contains 29 classified military documents compiled by Russian authorities between 2008 and 2014.
The criteria for a possible nuclear response vary from an enemy invasion of Russian territory to more specific causes, such as the destruction of 20% of Russian strategic ballistic missile submarines.
Despite the fact that the documents are more than 10 years old, experts confirm their relevance to contemporary Russian military doctrine. The training records show that Russia's Eastern Military District has studied a variety of scenarios, including a possible Chinese invasion. These exercises reflect Russia's unique view of its nuclear arsenal as the cornerstone of its defense policy and preparation of its forces for the possible use of a nuclear first strike in certain combat scenarios.
One scenario describing a possible Chinese attack indicates that Russia, identified as the "Northern Federation" within the war game, could use a tactical nuclear strike to stop the advance of the "South" with a second wave of invasion.
"The order has been given by the commander-in-chief . . . to use nuclear weapons . . . in the event the enemy deploys second-echelon units and the South threatens to attack further in the direction of the main strike," the document states.
A separate training presentation for Navy officers not affiliated with China discusses broader criteria for a potential nuclear strike. They cover the possibility of an enemy landing on Russian territory, hitting units responsible for guarding border areas, or the need to respond to an enemy attack with conventional weapons.
The risks are determined as a set of factors by which the loss of Russian troops would "irrevocably lead to their failure to stop major enemy aggression," which is "critical situation for the state security of Russia."
Other possible conditions include the destruction of 20% of strategic ballistic missile submarines, 30% of nuclear-powered attack submarines, three or more cruisers, three airfields, or the simultaneous destruction of main and reserve coastal command posts.
It is assumed that Russian military will be able to use tactical nuclear weapons to achieve a wide range of objectives, including "deterring states from aggression or escalation of military conflicts," "stopping aggression," preventing the loss of combat units or Russian territory, and increasing the effectiveness of the Russian Navy.
Earlier "Apostrophe" reported that Deputy Chairman of Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev threatened the United States that war over Alaska is unavoidable.