The Russian Navy has trained some of its units, equipped with missiles carrying nuclear warheads, to strike targets inside European borders.
Attack plans are foreseen in the event of a direct conflict with NATO. It is the British " Financial Times " that discovers something like this. The media outlet says it has obtained secret documents from what it describes as Western sources and shows maps marking some of Russia's potential targets for nuclear strikes.
"The documents show that Moscow plans to attack much deeper than the NATO countries bordering it, in the event of an open confrontation with the Western world," writes the Financial Times.
The maps show 32 possible targets on the old continent. Among them, the base on the French west coast, the base in Great Britain, military ports in the Baltic countries, the NATO centers in Germany, or the Bergen areas in Norway.
The concept of war behind these documents according to expert Jeffrey Lewis, quoted by the FT, is that of a total war.
According to NATO estimates, allied countries have less than 5 percent of the necessary air defense capabilities to protect the alliance's eastern flank from a Russian attack.
The documents explain that the great maneuverability of the Russian navy allows it to launch surprise pre-emptive strikes from several directions.
The plan also shows how Russia leaves open the possibility of arming ship-loaded missiles with nuclear warheads, a feature that experts say exposes the risk of an escalation and incident.