On five occasions between January and April 2025, Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles conducted operations adjacent to, or inside, the Air Defence Identification Zones north of Canada and the United States. The increased frequency of Russian LongRange Aviation operations in the Arctic coupled with four Russian Strategic Missile Force communications checks followed by the deployment of three mobile ICBM divisions was unusual. All of these moves underscored the heightened tension with Russia during the transfer of power in the United States while the Russo-Ukrainian War remained in progress.
Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian War, strategic nuclear forces from Russia, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom have been employed as tools to support information operations on an ongoing basis, as well as at critical junctures in the war. This overlapping conflict, the Cool War, includes what we call grey zone warfare as well as information operations. This conflict
exists in cyberspace, space, under the sea, and in the air. It is far more sophisticated than the Cold War, and the operational tempo of its units is arguably higher than during the Cold War. Most of this activity, interestingly enough, is perceivable in the public domain precisely because of the
deliberate nature of information operations. Connecting the activity to specific events is, however, generally opaque to the broader population. This requires substantial experience in the “language” employed and it is a highly technical undertaking. This article will examine a specific and discrete action that affected Canada in 2025, and open a window into the workings of the Cool War.
Russian Nuclear Forces Movements, the Trump Accession, and NORAD: January-April 2025
·