Vladimir Putin has approved updates to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, outlining expanded conditions for the potential use of its nuclear arsenal.
The revised policy now states that an attack from a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear-armed power, will be treated as a collective assault on Russia. This marks a significant shift in Russia’s military stance, broadening the scenarios in which a nuclear response could be triggered.
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Under the new guidelines, large-scale conventional attacks using missiles, drones, or aircraft could justify a nuclear reaction. Similarly, any aggression against Belarus or threats deemed critical to Russia’s sovereignty are included in the criteria. Moscow will also interpret aggression by a coalition member as an attack by the entire group, according to state media outlet Tass.
The changes, proposed in September and formalized on the 1,000th day of the war with Ukraine, coincide with Washington’s decision to permit Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike targets within Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov underscored the importance of the doctrine, calling it a “very important text” deserving thorough analysis. He added that the updates align with “the current situation” and were prepared at Putin’s request earlier this year.
Russia also issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with US-supplied missiles would signify direct involvement in the conflict. The foreign ministry promised an “appropriate and tangible” response to such actions.
Ukraine has criticized the updated doctrine as a continuation of Russia’s “nuclear sabre-rattling,” intended to intimidate Kyiv’s allies and discourage military aid.
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