Putin Signs Decree Allowing Broader Use Of Nuclear Weapons As Ukraine War Reaches 1,000 Days
The Russian President's endorsement of the new nuclear deterrent policy comes on the 1,000th day after Moscow launched an attack against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that an attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.
The signing of the doctrine, which states that any massive aerial attack on Russia could trigger a nuclear response, reflects Putin’s readiness to threaten use of the country’s nuclear arsenal to force the West to back down, a report in the Associated Press said.
The Russian President's endorsement of the new nuclear deterrent policy comes on the 1,000th day after Moscow launched an attack against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Under the new rule, a large attack on Russia with conventional missiles, drones or aircraft could meet the criteria for a nuclear response, as could an attack on Belarus or any critical threat to Russia's sovereignty, according to BBC. Moreover, any aggression against Russia by a state which is a member of a coalition would be seen by Moscow as aggression from the whole group.
The Kremlin said that broadening the rules for the use of nuclear weapons was a "necessary" response to what Moscow sees as Western threats to its security.
"It was necessary to bring our principles in line with the current situation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, shortly after Putin signed a decree easing the conditions under which Moscow would consider launching a nuclear attack.
Putin first announced changes in the nuclear doctrine in September, when he chaired a meeting discussing the proposed revisions. Though the update was proposed in September, it was rubber stamped on Tuesday, marking the 1,000th day of the war with Ukraine. It also comes after the US decision on Monday to allow Ukraine to fire long-range US missiles into Russia.
The Russian President has time and again threatened the use of nuclear weapons before, and Ukraine has criticised it as "nuclear sabre-rattling" to deter its allies from providing further support.
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