At the end of July, the world witnessed a new turning point in the Ukrainian crisis when Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, publicly brandished the Dead Hand system, one of the most controversial nuclear deterrents since the Cold War. This gesture came in response to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deadline for halting Russian operations.
The very next day, Trump pursued a reciprocal escalation by announcing that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to move into areas near the Russian border, a step that sparked wide debate over whether it reflected an operational decision or merely a calculated political message.
In my view, this interaction between the Russian threat and the American counter was not a passing media stunt but a clear return to the policy of nuclear terror many thought the world had left behind at the end of the Cold War.
The messages exchanged were less a show of force than a deliberate effort to impose a new rhythm on the Ukraine crisis, since both sides recognize that the battlefield alone is no longer the sole theater of conflict. Indeed, the war of nerves has now become the first line of defense. The Dead Hand system first emerged in the public eye in the 1980s, as an automatic retaliation mechanism, guaranteeing a nuclear strike even if Russia’s leadership were destroyed. For decades, it remained shrouded in secrecy, inspiring more dread than it actually revealed. (Read More)