Defence should not be an issue

In ascending levels of escalation...

1) Russia shut down Georgia's government's internet. Just how c001 15 that???

2) Maybe, just maybe, a systemic crash in the world's financial and monetary system has never been easier to create. I admit this possibility is fascinating to me.

3) States have to rely on what Weber named the "legitimate monopoly of violence". If you choose your allies carefully and your enemies even carefullier, you can rely on that alone. Balkan history is always a recommended read - no particular historical period...

4) I have previously affirmed that it is possible to literally run the world with only 60 nukes. I sustain it. But if you are only interested in containing the West, probably around 15, certainly no more than 20, are enough. And if you are only interested in containing the USA, if you have the first nuclear blow, only one is needed (though two are desirable). If you don't, can be as little as 5, but likelier to be about 10.