The Kremlin has announced that changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine are intended to dissuade Ukraine’s Western allies from supporting attacks on Russian territory.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the revisions on Thursday, which were revealed by President Vladimir Putin, as a “warning signal” to nations considering involvement in an offensive against Russia.
In a stark message to the West, Putin declared on Wednesday that any conventional attack on Russia, supported by a nuclear power, would be viewed as a joint aggression.
The threat, articulated in the updated nuclear doctrine, aims to discourage Western nations from permitting Ukraine to employ longer-range weaponry against Russia, effectively lowering the threshold for potential nuclear engagement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
Aleksei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin pool via AP
Putin did not elaborate on whether a nuclear response would follow such an attack during a Kremlin Security Council meeting discussing the doctrine revisions.
But he stressed that Russia may resort to nuclear weapons if facing a conventional assault that threatens its sovereignty—an intentionally vague definition that allows for broad interpretation.
As the conflict in Ukraine approaches its third year, Russia has made gradual gains, and the Kremlin is eager to weaken Western support for Kyiv.
Ukraine has consistently targeted Russian territory with missiles and drones in retaliation for Moscow’s strikes, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has been actively seeking permission from the U.S. and other allies to utilize longer-range weapons for deeper strikes into Russia.
However, the Biden administration has yet to authorize such actions with American-supplied weaponry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September. 25, 2024
Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin pool via AP
Putin indicated that the revised doctrine outlines more specific conditions for nuclear weapon use, including scenarios involving large-scale air attacks.
His new language suggests a potential nuclear response to any aerial offensive, reflecting a strategic ambiguity designed to deter the West from facilitating Ukraine’s long-range capabilities.
Since the onset of the war in 2022, Putin and other Kremlin officials have frequently invoked the threat of nuclear force to discourage increased Western support for Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Putin warned that allowing Ukraine to utilize Western-supplied longer-range weapons to strike Russian soil would risk a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
Authorities in Russia said on Thursday that Kyiv had fired drones into Russian regions bordering Ukraine—although this has not been confirmed by Ukraine.
Russia, in turn, has continued with its drone strikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, with authorities in Kyiv saying that debris from an intercepted drone damaged a gas pipeline in a residential building overnight on Wednesday.
This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press
