NATO Weighs Deep Conventional Strikes Inside Russia
NATO is developing a defence strategy that could allow conventional attacks on Russian military bases, supply depots and defence-industrial facilities deep inside the country. The concept seeks to disrupt an attack by hitting the assets that sustain it, while remaining within conventional weapons. The US and European allies are expanding long-range missile stocks and developing cheaper alternatives to support such operations.
Key points
- The proposed strategy would permit conventional strikes on military bases, supply depots and defence-industrial sites deep inside Russia.
- The publicly discussed plan does not involve using nuclear weapons.
- The concept follows blocking an initial attack wave and then preventing the adversary from sustaining its advance.
- The US will modernise and replenish stocks of Tomahawk cruise missiles and ATACMS ballistic missiles.
- European countries seek to expand stocks of Storm Shadow, SCALP and Taurus missiles.
- At least 48 projects to develop cheaper cruise missiles have been announced in Europe.
- Ukraine already uses long-range drones and missiles against Russian oil refineries, drone-component plants, data centres and fuel depots.
Why it matters
The proposed approach would shift NATO deterrence from primarily blocking advancing troops toward also destroying the military, logistical and industrial assets that sustain an attack. Implementing it would require more long-range missiles and cheaper weapons, leading the US and European allies to expand procurement and develop new capabilities. The strategy also reflects the influence of the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East on NATO military planning.
What happened
NATO is developing a new defence strategy that would allow conventional strikes deep inside Russia against military bases, supply depots and defence-industrial facilities. Its commander in Europe, Alexus Grinkiewicz, presented a staged approach under which allies would first block an initial attack wave and then prevent the adversary from sustaining its advance. Polish Major General Ireneusz Nowak said NATO would want to strike Russia's defence-industrial complex in a conflict and described precision attacks deep inside the country as a deterrent tool. The publicly discussed plan remains conventional and does not call for nuclear weapons.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage presents Ukraine's strikes on Russian targets far behind the front as a precedent for the proposed NATO approach, comparing it with the principle of hitting the archer rather than merely protecting against the arrows. Ambassador to NATO Alona Getmanchuk argues that air defence alone can only ease the symptoms of an attack and must be supplemented by effects on the source of the threat. The coverage also highlights US and European efforts to expand long-range missile inventories and develop cheaper alternatives needed for such operations.
How international sources describe it
International coverage focuses on NATO's reassessment of deterrence and the shift from impeding troop movement towards hitting bases, logistics and defence-industrial targets deep inside Russia. It also focuses on Grinkiewicz's staged approach and makes clear that the publicly discussed strategy remains conventional and does not entail using nuclear weapons.
Background
NATO's eastern-flank defence long relied substantially on fortifications and blockhouses, but strategists now consider those measures insufficient to defeat a potential Russian invasion. Ukraine already uses long-range drones and missiles against Russian oil-processing facilities, drone-component plants, data centres and fuel depots.