Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to expand the scope of Russia’s nuclear weapon use, specifying that a nuclear response could be triggered not only by a direct nuclear attack but also by a “massive” air attack on Russian territory. Additionally, Putin outlined that any assault by a non-nuclear nation, if supported by a nuclear power, would be treated as a joint attack, potentially inviting a nuclear response.
This development reflects Russia’s adaptation to perceived emerging threats and seems to align with the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, although Putin did not explicitly mention Ukraine. The announcement coincides with Ukraine’s efforts to gain Western approval to use long-range precision weaponry against Russia, which has been denied so far.
In a televised meeting with high-level officials, Putin detailed the proposed changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine: the “utmost measure of protection of the country’s sovereignty.”
“We see the modern military and political situation is dynamically changing and we must take this into consideration,” Putin said, citing “the emergence of new sources of military threats and risks for Russia and our allies.”
Among the new measures, “it is proposed to consider aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state” when this is carried out “with the participation or support of a nuclear power” as “their joint attack on Russia,” Putin said.
Владимир Путин внёс изменения в российскую ядерную доктрину — теперь нападение на РФ неядерного государства при поддержке ядерного будет считаться совместным нападением и предполагать возможность ядерного удара. Кроме того, в Кремле могут применить ядерное оружие и в том… pic.twitter.com/V6DntwHdrH
— ЭХО (@echofm_online) September 25, 2024
The timing of this proposal coincides with Ukraine’s requests to Western allies for permission to deploy long-range precision weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory — a request that has yet to be approved. The proposed changes, which Putin has the authority to implement, seek to safeguard Russia’s sovereignty in light of these emerging risks, according to a report in themoscowtimes.com.
Putin said that proposed changes “clearly set the conditions for Russia to transition to using nuclear weapons.” “We will consider such a possibility once we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack weapons and their crossing our state border,” the president added.
“I mean airplanes of strategic and tactical aviation, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other aircraft,” Putin said.
The president said the proposed changes also meant “we reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression against Russia and Belarus,” Moscow’s close ally.
‘Critical threat’
He added that this included a situation in which another state “using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat to our sovereignty.”
The president said that Russia’s nuclear weapons were “the most important guarantee of security of our state and its citizens.”
“It’s important to predict how the situation will develop and accordingly adapt the clauses of the document on strategic planning to current realities,” Putin said.
The proposed new doctrine has been prepared as a draft, while Putin needs to approve the text for it to enter force, TASS state news agency reported.
It was the first time that Putin had held such a meeting in public, TASS reported.
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