Russia warned the West for months that if Ukraine used Western-supplied missiles on Russian soil, Moscow would consider NATO members directly involved in the war. /Maxim Shipenkov/Reuters
Vladimir Putin has approved a new nuclear doctrine, shortly after The New York Times reported the Joe Biden administration had authorized the use of ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory.
Russia's updated nuclear doctrine outlines the conditions under which nuclear weapons may be deployed, significantly lowering the threshold for their use in response to conventional attacks.
Previously, Russia's nuclear doctrine required a direct threat to the country's existence for nuclear weapons to be used. The new doctrine now states that nuclear weapons can be used in the event of a "critical threat to the sovereignty and/or territorial integrity" of Russia or its ally Belarus.
The previous doctrine said Russia may use nuclear weapons in case of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatened the existence of the state. /Russian Defence Ministry/Reuters
The doctrine further expands and clarifies the types of aggression that could trigger a nuclear response. These include:
— Receiving credible information about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting Russian or allied territories;
— The use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against Russian or allied territories, military formations, or objects located outside Russian borders;
— Enemy actions against critical government or military facilities that would disrupt Russia's ability to retaliate with nuclear forces;
Receiving credible information about the launch of aerospace attack vehicles—such as planes, cruise missiles, drones, and hypersonic vehicles—crossing Russian borders.
Additionally, the updated doctrine clarifies that potential adversaries can now include states that provide their territory and resources for launching aggression against Russia.
New provisions in the doctrine state that Russia will view aggression from any member of a coalition, bloc, or alliance as an act of aggression by the entire group. Furthermore, aggression from a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear power, will be considered a joint attack.
One notable omission from the new doctrine is the removal of the principle regarding adherence to international arms control agreements, a key aspect in previous versions of the document.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy when asked about Bryansk attack: We now have ATACMS, we will use them. /John Hamilton/U.S. Army via AP, FILE
Russia confirms Ukrainian long-range missile attack
Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired six U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles into its western Bryansk region.
"Last night at 3.25 (0025 GMT) the enemy struck a facility in the Bryansk region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, American-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles were used," the Russian defence ministry said.
It said Russian air defences shot down five missiles and damaged one, whose fragments fell on a military facility.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday attacks on Russia's Bryansk region by Ukraine with U.S. missiles was a clear signal that the West wanted to escalate the conflict.
"Without the Americans, it is impossible to use these high-tech missiles, as Putin has repeatedly said," Lavrov added.
Lavrov said he hoped Moscow's new nuclear doctrine would be attentively read.
The United States was not surprised by Russia's announced change in its nuclear doctrine and does not plan to adjust its own nuclear posture in response, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said on Tuesday.