Russia’s red lines are warnings to its opponents and also serve as justifications when Russia reacts to provocations. From Andrew Korybko at korybko.com:
Such rhetoric should be taken seriously, not downplayed, but it also shouldn’t be exaggerated either.
Lavrov gave an insightful interview to Sky News Arabia in which he explained what Russia hopes to achieve by talking about its red lines. The Mainstream Media (MSM) is convinced that they’re meaningless and that all such ones can be crossed without fear of World War III, while the Alt-Media Community (AMC) interprets all such rhetoric as hinting at a nuclear response in that event. It turns out that they’re both half-right and half-wrong per what Lavrov revealed about his country’s calculations:
“They (the West) really seem to have a child’s mentality, even though they are adults holding positions of responsibility: ministers, prime ministers, chancellors, presidents, etc.
For several months now, there has been this discourse about Russia only threatening and mentioning some ‘red lines’, which the West keeps crossing and nothing happens.
…
We talk about the ‘red lines’ in the hope that our assessments and statements will be heard by clever decision-makers.
It is silly to say that we will push the red button, if tomorrow you fail to do as I demand. I am confident that the decision-makers are aware of what we mean in these situations. No one wants a nuclear war.
We said this time and again. Let me assure you that we have weapons whose use will involve grave consequences for the masters of the Ukrainian regime.”
As a reminder, Putin famously described NATO’s expansion into Ukraine as crossing a red line for Russia during his speech on 24 February 2022 announcing the start of Russia’s special operation:
“We cannot stay idle and passively observe these developments. This would be an absolutely irresponsible thing to do for us. Any further expansion of the North Atlantic alliance’s infrastructure or the ongoing efforts to gain a military foothold of the Ukrainian territory are unacceptable for us…It is not only a very real threat to our interests but to the very existence of our state and to its sovereignty. It is the red line which we have spoken about on numerous occasions. They have crossed it.
The doomsday dead hand defense is still there.
Everything is launched if an ICBM is incoming.
FUSA wouldn’t have anything like this under CPUSA (D) misrule, it wouldn’t be fair, we must absorb the first strike.
I think that was actual Obama policy, to take the first hit.
Read that some nuke test is coming up by RF?