Russia Going Cold Again?

Cold War II Alert. This is a scary scenario. GSN reports:

Russia Could Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons to Defeat U.S. Missile Defenses in Europe, Experts Say

Moscow reserves the right to use tactical nuclear weapons to thwart potential U.S. missile defense sites in Eastern Europe that could threaten Russia’s strategic missile force, Russian defense analysts warned recently.

“According to our military doctrine, Russia reserves the right to deliver preventive strikes at any targets that pose a threat to us, with tactical nuclear weapons being an option in such strikes,” said Alexander Pikayev, a department head at the Russian Institute for World Economy and International Affairs (IMEMO).

The United States has said it is seeking to erect missile defense sites in Eastern Europe — possibly in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland — to defend against ballistic missiles launched from Iran.

Institute analysts, however, have argued that the systems are actually intended to shoot down Russian long-range missiles and to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent, Izvestiya reported.

“By approaching Russia’s borders, the Americans are seeking to achieve their main objective: intercepting our strategic missiles at the early stage of their trajectory, when they are most vulnerable,” said retired Maj. Gen. Vladimir Belous, a senior research fellow at the Institute.

Russia would probably seek other measures to protect its missiles as well, Izvestiya reported, including moving their silos farther east and arming them with multiple warheads to make them more difficult to intercept.