The missile standoff: ballistic considerations of the war in Ukraine
Abstract
On February 24, 2022, after a few months of strategic uncertainty on the Russian-Ukrainian borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military offensive in Ukraine. This attack confirmed the aggressive intentions of Russia, which had amassed military forces on the Ukrainian border since December 2021. It also confirmed the concretization of Russia’s efforts to remain a major power in the ballistic field.
About the Author
Douglas de Quadros Rocha is a doctoral researcher in the Strategy Department of the Magellan Laboratory (EA 3713, IAE, Lyon III) and head of the Nuclear Studies Unit at the Institute for Strategy and Defense Studies (IESD, Faculty of Law, Lyon III). He is a doctoral student in political science at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon-III, where he is writing a thesis on France's nuclear deterrence and arms control strategy. His research focuses on nuclear issues (deterrence, non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament), French deterrence doctrine and strategic risk reduction.
The high-intensity nature of this war is a real-time testing field for the performance of these weapons, whether on the Russian or Ukrainian side, and that allows to evaluate their performance.
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