Putin threatens to further develop 'three nuclear forces'

Immediately after he visited North Korea and Vietnam, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to accelerate the development of Russia's "three major nuclear forces." As of January this year, Russia possessed 4,380 operational nuclear warheads, approximately 600 more than the U.S. Despite being the world's largest nuclear weapons state, Russia has expressed a strong commitment to advancing its nuclear capabilities under the justification of maintaining a "balance of power."

At a celebration event for outstanding graduates of the Military Academy held at the Moscow Kremlin on Friday (local time), President Putin announced, "We plan to develop three additional nuclear forces to maintain the global balance of power and ensure strategic deterrence." The three major nuclear forces refer to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers capable of launching nuclear warheads from land, sea, and air.

According to the 2024 World Nuclear Weapons Yearbook, released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on June 16, Russia is the world's most nuclear-armed country, possessing 5,580 of the world's 12,121 nuclear warheads, 4,380 of which are operational. The U.S. has a total of 5,044 nuclear warheads, 3,708 of which are operational.

President Putin is also accelerating his plan to create a "Eurasian security system" to counter the U.S.-centered Western security alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "I am willing to discuss equal and indivisible security issues in Eurasia with all parties, including the European Union (EU) and NATO," he said at a Friday meeting with military academy graduates.


김보라 purple@donga.com