Recently, a batch of classified military intelligence of the Russian army from 2008 to 2014 was leaked, which was obtained and publicly disclosed by the Financial Times. This batch of 29 documents not only reveals Russia's criteria for the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, but also covers a more critical content, that is, Russia has secretly conducted military exercises to prevent China's invasion.
According to Russian military documents, although China and Russia reached an agreement in 2001 not to use each other's nuclear weapons and not to set nuclear strike targets for each other, Russia's Eastern Theater still developed a variety of scenarios that simulated a Chinese invasion, and conducted relevant exercises in the border with China in June and November 2023, including the use of Iskander missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.
This plan points out that in the face of the enemy's rapid attack, the Russian army believes that it is necessary to carry out a containment plan by using tactical nuclear missiles to strike the opponent's own military assembly areas when the other side launches a second wave of offensive, so as to buy time for the Russian army in the European part to support the Far East.
In the West's view, this highlights the lowering of the threshold for Russia's use of nuclear weapons. But generally speaking, the quality of diplomatic relations between countries is a political issue, and as a soldier, all tasks are from a military perspective to achieve national interests. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russia has drawn up a corresponding military plan, and our side also believes that it has already had a corresponding military plan, and the two sides are still in the stage of cooperation and have not yet reached the point of being exhausted.
At the same time, the West's disclosure of Russian military intelligence this time has two purposes. On the one hand, it is to drive a wedge between China and Russia and weaken the multilateralist alliance by leaking plans. On the other hand, it is to create panic by exposing Russia's lowering of the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, and further promote cooperation within the West.
The new type of major-country relationship between China and Russia is one of mutually beneficial cooperation, not an alliance with the West. Since it is not an alliance, our side and Russia have drawn up corresponding military plans out of the needs of their national interests, which is the internal affairs of our own country and should not be subject to external interference.
Of course, regardless of the veracity of the Russian military plans disclosed by the West, this also reflects the complexity of the situation around our country. Therefore, in order to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, there is still a need for further increases in China's defense and military expenditures.