NUCLEAR MISSILE PROGRAMS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: HISTORY AND MODERNITY

Abstract

The formation and development of Russia’s nuclear missile programs is of great scientific, theoretical and practical importance in modern political science in view of the aggravation of international relations involving the Russian Federation, which is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The Russian Federation has the second largest nuclear missile stockpile and the political doctrine of this state declares the possibility of their use, which poses a threat to global peace and the existence of humankind in general. Given the above challenges, the purpose of this article is to analyze the formation and stages of development of Russia’s nuclear missile programs in order to understand the political nature of these processes and prospects for the use of this type of weapon. The article uses historical and political science research methods, with the primary emphasis on the methods of historical reconstruction and analytical interpretation. The article examines the formation of Russian nuclear missile programs at various historical stages. The author breaks down the development of the Russian nuclear missile programs and characterizes each period. This breakdown covers three stages: 1) 1940s – 1991, when nuclear missile programs were established; 2) 1991–2014, when nuclear missile programs carried a primarily defensive function; 3) 2014 – to the present, when nuclear missile programs are used to politically influence Western countries in order to consolidate the annexed territories. The author proves that the distinctive practical features of the current Russian nuclear missile programs include the increase of quantitative and qualitative indicators of nuclear missile capability, as well as the use of these programs in foreign policy positioning and influencing international processes.