Putin won’t use a nuclear weapon, because he can’t be sure that it won’t mean the end of him, and possibly of Moscow.įinally, we come to information and cyber warfare. The reality, of course, is that ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons do not exist - they are all strategic weapons - and, as such, come under the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction which ably governed the nuclear relationship between the superpowers during the Cold War.

Putin’s back is against the wall, the argument goes he’ll get desperate when his position is challenged Russia’s military doctrine – like that of the Soviet Union – is based on an “escalate to de-escalate” concept where nuclear weapons are used to make the point that Russians should not be pushed too far. Then there is the near-hysteria around whether Putin will use a so-called tactical nuclear weapon. In truth, though its defences need upgrading, the tank still has a crucial role to play in modern warfare. But that can partly be explained by employment mistakes, insufficient infantry support and other errors by Russia. Tanks are certainly more vulnerable now there are so many missile-firing UAVs in the sky, and Russia has unquestionably suffered heavy losses in this department. The availability of cheap commercial drones that you can buy on Amazon, not to mention the Turkish attractively priced Bayraktar TB2 drone ($1m, if you’re interested), has, without doubt, made the job of a tank commander more difficult. All of these assertions have elements of truth in them, which is why they get repeated. And information and cyber warfare have fundamentally changed the nature of conflict. We are on the brink of nuclear weapons being used in Europe. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – drones – have made the tank obsolete, we are told. Ukraine – the war that we are in now – follows this pattern.

But a surprising number of generals and politicians also make this mistake as they seek to explain the battles that they are involved in, or instigated. You might expect this from the punditry, who often know little about fighting. This conflict, they tell us, heralds a shift in warfare, and it will never be the same again. Every time there is a war, commentators and pundits love to tell us that this war is different to all other wars.

Download warhaven reviews