Kremlin Says Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine Changes Are a Message to the West

The changes will lower the threshold for Russia's use of nuclear weapons

On Thursday, the Kremlin confirmed that the changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine that were outlined by President Vladimir Putin a day earlier were meant as a message to the West as NATO is considering supporting long-range Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.

“This should be viewed as a certain message,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “This is a message that warns these countries of the consequences should they participate in an attack on our country by various means, not necessarily nuclear.”

Putin said the new doctrine will consider an attack on Russia by a non-nuclear state that’s supported by a nuclear-armed power as a joint attack, and it allows the use of nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack that poses a “critical threat to Russian sovereignty.”

The doctrine will also allow the use of nuclear weapons in response to “aggression” against Russia and Belarus and if Russia becomes aware of plans to launch massive airstrikes against its territory.

Russia’s current nuclear doctrine only allows the use of nuclear weapons if Russia faces a nuclear attack or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the Russian Federation.

Russian Senator Viktor Bondarev told TASS that the changes to the nuclear doctrine were a response “to the constant growth of tension in the rhetoric and direct actions in support of Ukraine on the part of the Western countries.”

He pointed to the US and the UK discussing the idea of supporting long-range strikes inside Russia, which Putin has said would mean NATO is at war with Russia. Bondarev said he hoped “the US, Britain and their puppets in the NATO bloc will have enough common sense not to bring the situation to the point of no return, deadly for the entire planet.”

Bondarev added, “If necessary, I am sure that nothing will stop us from a retaliatory strike that would mean the end of all life on the globe.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.