Vladimir Putin took a new step in the escalation of tensions with the West by signing a revised nuclear doctrine on Tuesday. This crucial document establishes that a conventional attack against Russia by a nation backed by a nuclear power will now be considered a joint attack against its country.
This major revision comes symbolically on the 1000th day of the invasion of Ukraine, and appears as a direct response to US President Joe Biden’s decision to authorize Ukraine to strike targets on Russian territory with more American missiles. long range.
The new doctrine considerably broadens the scope of possible Russian nuclear responses. It stipulates in particular that a massive air attack against Russia could trigger a nuclear response. The text also specifies that any aggression by a member of a military bloc will be interpreted as “an aggression of the entire bloc”, a thinly veiled reference to NATO.
The document precisely details the scenarios that could justify the use of nuclear weapons, now including massive attacks involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, planes and drones. This expanded wording represents a significant change from the previous version which was limited to ballistic missile attacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to downplay the timing of the release, saying the document was released “in a timely manner” on Putin’s instructions earlier this year to “align with the current situation.”
This update of the doctrine takes place in a context where the Russian president and his allies are increasing nuclear threats towards the West, thus seeking to dissuade Western countries from increasing their military support for Ukraine. The doctrine also explicitly mentions Belarus as an ally, a country which has accepted the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
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