The question of a hypothetical military conflict between Russia and NATO is the subject of analysis by many military experts and political scientists. It is important to understand that such a conflict would have catastrophic global consequences, including the risk of nuclear weapons use, which makes victory in the traditional sense impossible — all sides and the entire human civilization would lose. Key factors in the hypothetical scenario: Nuclear factor: Russia and a number of NATO countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France) possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals. Russia's doctrine provides for the possibility of employing nuclear weapons in case of threat to the state's existence. This makes any full-scale conflict between nuclear powers extremely unlikely due to the doctrine of “mutual assured destruction” (MAD). No side can “win” in a nuclear war. Conventional (ordinary) forces: An analysis of non-nuclear confrontation shows the following: NATO holds a decisive superiority in aggregate economic power, technologies (especially in aviation, the fleet, air defense and reconnaissance systems), personnel numbers (when combining all alliance countries), and has a vast network of military bases around the world. Russia has an advantage in geographical proximity to the potential theater of operations (for example, in Eastern Europe), substantial stocks of artillery and MLRS, developed air defense systems and experience of large-scale conventional operations. Scale of the conflict: The outcome would depend on defining its borders. A limited, local conflict (for example, in the Baltics or around Kaliningrad) would have one prognosis. A full-scale war along the entire Russia-NATO border — completely different, with inevitable escalation to nuclear level. Possible scenarios and probable outcomes (in hypothetical frames): Limited conflict (the most probable hypothetical scenario): If we assume the conflict remains local and does not escalate to nuclear, ... Read more