Financial Times reports that Russia has devised a strategy for war against Japan and South Korea, targeting civilian infrastructure with attacks.

The British newspaper Financial Times reported on Russian secret documents that have come into its possession, detailing plans in the event of war with Japan and South Korea. In particular, the Russians compiled a detailed list of targets for strikes, including nuclear power plants and civil infrastructure facilities.

The publication learned about this from secret documents from 2013-2014, provided by Western sources.

According to a leak from 29 secret military files, the list includes 160 targets, such as roads, bridges, factories, as well as command posts and military bases.

The list contains a breakdown of potential targets in Japan and South Korea; the first 82 items on the list are military facilities (headquarters and command centers of the armies of these countries, radar stations, air and naval bases).

However, the list also includes civilian objects, including 13 power plants in Japan, such as nuclear complexes in Tokai and chemical plants in Busan, South Korea, oil refineries, tunnels, bridges in South Korea, and it is also planned to target a metallurgical complex and chemical plants, writes FT.

Among the targets are the Kanmon Tunnel in Japan and the Pohang steel mill in South Korea.

The documents detail the use of non-nuclear cruise missiles X-101. One scenario describes an attack on a Japanese radar base in Okushiri, using 12 missiles launched from a Tu-160 heavy bomber.

Another document mentions a mission to assess the air defense capabilities of Japan and South Korea on February 24, 2014. According to the dossier, a pair of Tu-95 heavy bombers took off from a long-range aviation command base in Ukraine and circled both countries for 17 hours to monitor their responses.

The documents viewed by FT indicate that in the event of any war with NATO, Russia would be vulnerable from the east, primarily from Japan and South Korea, which have alliance treaties with the USA similar to NATO.

The plans from 2013-2014 envisioned strikes on most targets with X-101 cruise missiles in non-nuclear configurations, which are now widely used by Russia in Ukraine. Experts interviewed by the newspaper stated that the experience of the war in Ukraine showed that Russian command had overestimated the capabilities of these missiles and their invulnerability to air defense systems.

Background. It is worth noting that Japan will transfer $3 billion in revenue from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. According to Zelensky, Tokyo promises Kyiv additional assistance for energy sector equipment and the construction of shelters.