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Russian Way of War: Russian Novel Weapons Systems and Emerging Technologies

  • Published
  • By RSI EUCOM

The focus of this area is on understanding the capabilities that Russia is developing and deploying to counter U.S. strengths or exploit U.S. vulnerabilities. How does Russia conceptualize the use of various novel weapons systems, and how do they align with escalation management? How do these systems fall within Russian doctrine, strategic operations, and wartime planning? What is the intent and actual capabilities of these systems?

  • What is the Russian Concept for Use of Nuclear Force? (RSI EUCOM): What is the concept for the use of strategic and tactical nuclear forces?
    • Bergin, Capt. Connor T., "Beyond Brinksmanship: How Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Endangers Strategic Stability," AFGC thesis, 2025, 43 pgs. 
      • Bergin answers this by analyzing Russia's doctrinal shift toward an "escalate to de-escalate" strategy, which envisions the preemptive use of low-yield, tactical nuclear strikes to terminate conventional conflicts on terms favorable to Moscow. He demonstrates that Russia is deliberately lowering its threshold for nuclear use and utilizing ambiguous declaratory policies and nuclear rhetoric as a coercive tool of statecraft, as seen during the invasion of Ukraine. To counteract this destabilizing doctrinal volatility, Bergin recommends that the US restore clarity to its own deterrence posture by explicitly linking any nuclear use to overwhelming consequences, and by expanding redundant crisis communication channels with all nuclear-armed states to prevent miscalculation.
    • Bowron, James, "Russian Battlefield Losses: Why Russia Will Rely on Nuclear Threats When Dealing with the West in the Future," Russia RTF, 2023, 35 pgs. 
    • Juarez, Maj. Carlos, "Russia's Nuclear Weapon Use in Modern Times," AFGC thesis, 2025, 44 pgs.
      • Juarez details how Russia’s concept of nuclear force has shifted away from its post-Cold War "no-first-use" policy. Because Russia recognized the shortcomings of its conventional military forces, it increasingly relied on its nuclear arsenal as a stopgap. Most recently, Juarez highlights that Russia's 2024 nuclear doctrine revision lowered the threshold for nuclear use, establishing that a conventional attack on Russian territory by an adversary backed by a nuclear-armed state is now grounds for nuclear retaliation. Furthermore, Russia views nuclear weapons not just as physical deterrents, but as psychological and political tools for coercion and manipulation.
    • List, Lt. Col. Nathan, "Conventional Nuclear Integration: Reinforcing Strategic Stability" AWC PSP, 2020, 18 pgs.
    • McCarty, LCDR James, USN, "A New Cold War: In Search of a Nuclear Arms Treaty" ACSC Paper (SANDS program), 2020, 35 pgs.
    • Perry, Major Frank, "Rose Colored Glasses: How Western Mirroring Could Result in Inadvertent Nuclear War with Russia," ACSC Russia RTF, 2022, 18 pgs.

 

  • What is the Russian Concept of Use for Space and Counter-Space (RSI EUCOM): Analyze this concept of use.
    • Adewunmi, Maj. Adekunbi H., "Evolving Deterrence: Preventing Destruction in Outer Space," AFGC thesis, 2025, 48 pgs. 
      • Adewunmi analyzes this by explaining that Russia’s space doctrine is deeply rooted in a historical mistrust of U.S. intentions, frequently viewing U.S. commercial capabilities as covert military assets intended for a surprise attack. Consequently, Russia’s concept of operations focuses on developing both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities—ranging from direct-ascent missiles to RPO inspection satellites—and embraces a doctrine of early, asymmetric, and potentially preemptive escalation to inflict unacceptable costs on adversaries if it believes its own critical systems are threatened.
    • Anderson, Maj. David, "Russian Spacepower Theory Evolution," ACSC Russia RTF, 2022, 19 pgs.
    • Anderson, Maj. David, "Russian Counterspace Defense Initiative," ACSC Russian RTF, 2022, 4 pgs.
    • Carlson, Lt. Col. Randall, "What Strategic Leaders Need to Know About Russian Space," AWC elective paper, 2021, 26 pgs.
    • Cummings, Lt. Col. Stephan E., "What Strategic Leaders Should Know to Tame the Bear that Would Dominate Space," AWC Elective Paper, 2021, 20 pgs.

 

  • Russian Cyber and Influence Activities (RSI EUCOM): What cyber and influence activities have the Russians undertaken, and what was their impact?
    • Evans, Capt. Stephanie, "Exploiting the Alliance: Identifying Methods for the U.S. to Counteract the Advantages of the Russia-Iran International Partnership," AFGC thesis, 2025, 37 pgs.
      • Evans notes that Russia heavily utilizes cyber and information operations within the "gray zone" to undermine adversaries and shape public narratives. In the cyber domain, Russia has attacked Ukraine's electrical grid, causing extensive power outages that negatively impacted the economy and diminished public faith in the energy sector. In the information domain, Russia interfered with the 2016 US election via social media, sent threatening text messages to Ukrainian soldiers, overtook Ukrainian television channels during the annexation of Crimea, and deployed massive troll farm operations following the downing of flight MH-17.
    • Gaxiola, Kaitlin S. Stark, "Russian Military Ethics: Their Impact on Russian Leadership Decision-Making and Why it Matters to the United States," SAASS thesis, 2025, 46 pgs.
      • Addresses this by detailing Russia's extensive and unethical use of disinformation, AI bot farms, and fake web domains that impersonate legitimate U.S. news sources. She explains that the impact of these activities is aimed at manipulating American public opinion, reducing support for Ukraine, and interfering in elections across the U.S., UK, and France. In the cyber domain, Stark highlights that Russia conducts offensive cyberattacks—including spear-phishing and malware deployment—to disrupt critical U.S. infrastructure like power grids and water systems, demonstrating a gray-zone warfare strategy that is highly dangerous if met with a lack of Western repercussions.
    • Hawkins, Maj. John I., "Comrades in the Comments Section: Russia's Cyber Influence Effects on the US and Europe," GCPME thesis, 2024, 32 pgs. 
    • Odom, Maj. Richard K., "Russia & China's EMS and Cyber Maneuver: Different Histories, Complementary Strategies," ACSC CAOSS (Cyber Concentration) paper, 2025, 14 pgs. 
    • Schnell, Maj. Andrew T., "The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: An Analysis of the Effect of Information Operations on Kinetic Operations," AF Fellows paper (Johns Hopkins), 2023, 27 pgs. 

 

  • Russian Unconventional & Counter-Unconventional Warfare (RSI EUCOM): What are the Russian approaches and capabilities here?