Vladimir Putin has approved an updated nuclear doctrine that states that Russia will be able to use nuclear weapons as a “last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty” if it is threatened by a nuclear or conventional weapons attack.
The decision on their possible use will be up to the president, but Moscow believes it is “necessary” to relax the rules for the possible use of nuclear weapons in response to what Moscow sees as threats to its security, explained Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov , according to which “it was necessary to align our principles with the current situation”.
Response to the USA
While the move has been under consideration for some time, the decision to sign it now sends a signal that it is a response to Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire long-range American missiles at Russia. On Sunday the president of the United States established an easing of the restrictions on the use of the Army Tactical Missile System, or Atacms, so far imposed by Washington on Kiev.
What happens with Biden’s decision on long-range missiles to Ukraine
This means that Biden allowed the Ukrainians to use these longer-range missiles, which have a range of about 300 kilometers, in Kursk, where Moscow is trying to regain the ground occupied by Kiev also with the support of North Korean troops. And the first launch of these missiles took place today, as an informed source from the Defense Forces confirmed to the Ukrainian media RBC. “The attack was carried out against a target in the Bryansk region, which was successfully hit,” the source noted.
The United Kingdom is also thinking of following the move of its overseas allies and allowing Kiev to use their Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of around 250 kilometres, to attack Russian territories. So far these weapons have been supplied to Kiev by Great Britain and France only to strike targets within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
The updated doctrine
The updated doctrine, which outlines threats that could cause the Russian leadership to consider a nuclear attack, states that an attack with conventional missiles, drones or other aircraft could be considered to meet these criteria. Furthermore, any aggression against Russia by a member state of a coalition would be considered by Moscow as aggression against it by the entire coalition.
“A nuclear response by Russia is possible in the event of a critical threat to its sovereignty, including with conventional weapons, in the event of an attack on Belarus as a member of the Union State, or in the event of a massive launch of military aircraft, missiles cruise, drones, other aircraft and their crossing of the Russian border”, reads the text promulgated by Putin.
Unforeseeable consequences
This raises questions about the consequences of the use of US Atacms on Russian territory, because if Moscow were to consider it as a direct attack by the US, then this would potentially mean that the entire coalition, therefore effectively NATO, would be held responsible , with unpredictable consequences.
“The use of non-nuclear Western missiles by Kiev against Russia, according to the new doctrine, could provoke a nuclear response,” specified Kremlin spokesman Peskov, who also underlined that any attack on the nation by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state would be considered a joint attack. “Russia has always viewed nuclear weapons as a deterrent, the use of which is an extreme and forced measure,” Peskov said, adding that the Russian military is closely monitoring any potential Ukrainian attack with long-range Western weapons.
