Potential adversaries, criteria for use: Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree ratifying the revised nuclear doctrine, titled "Foundations of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence."

The document has been officially published.

According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the document will be scrutinized both domestically and internationally.

TASS has compiled the key details of the doctrine.

Key provisions

According to the document, nuclear deterrence is aimed at "a potential adversary, which may encompass individual countries and military alliances (blocs, unions) that regard Russia as a potential enemy and possess nuclear and/or other weapons of mass destruction, or have substantial combat capabilities of general-purpose forces."

Russia will also engage in nuclear deterrence against those countries that offer their territory, maritime zones, airspace, and resources for aggression against it.

The president is the ultimate authority on the use of nuclear weapons.

Aggression from any non-nuclear state, but with the involvement or backing of a nuclear state, will be considered a joint attack on Russia.

Additionally, a nuclear response is deemed possible if there is a critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty, even from conventional weapons, including an attack on Belarus as part of the Union State, or a massive launch of warplanes, cruise missiles, drones, or other aircraft crossing the Russian border.

Kremlin’s commentary

The published document will undergo in-depth analysis both in Russia and abroad, Peskov stated.

He explained that updating the doctrine was necessary to bring it into line with the current political landscape.

The Kremlin official reaffirmed that Russia has consistently maintained a responsible position and taken necessary steps to mitigate the nuclear threat and prevent the worsening of international relations. He stressed that nuclear weapons are regarded by Russia solely as a last resort.

Peskov emphasized that the potential adversary must understand the "inevitability of retribution" for any aggressive actions against Russia and its allies.

Putin’s spokesman also noted that the updated doctrine envisions a possible nuclear response in the event that Ukraine uses Western non-nuclear projectiles against Russia.

-News Feed