Moscow, Russia — President Vladimir Putin has approved significant changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, establishing new conditions under which the country would consider the use of its nuclear arsenal.
The updated doctrine now states that an attack by a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear power, would be treated as a joint assault on Russia. This change, which was proposed in September, was finalized on Tuesday, marking the 1000th day of the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to BBC.
The decision follows the United States’ recent move to allow Ukraine to launch American-made long-range missiles into Russian territory. This prompted a stern warning from Russia, with officials stating they would respond with an “appropriate and impactful” retaliation.
On Tuesday morning, a confirmed attack — utilizing U.S.-supplied long-range missiles — targeted the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine to the north.
With the new doctrine, a large-scale attack against Russia using conventional missiles, drones, or aircraft could now trigger a nuclear response, especially if such an attack threatened Belarus or posed a critical risk to Russian sovereignty.
Additionally, any aggression against Russia by a state that is part of a coalition would be viewed by Moscow as aggression from the entire group.
Putin has previously threatened to use nuclear weapons, often framing the possibility of such action as a means of deterring further support for Ukraine from its allies. Ukraine has criticized these threats, calling them “nuclear blackmail” aimed at preventing its allies from providing further military assistance.
