Putin Edits Nuclear Doctrine
Russia could respond with nuclear weapons if any nation attacks the mainland or Belarus with conventional weaponry sponsored by nuclear states. President Vladimir Putin announced he will make these edits to the Kremlin’s Nuclear Doctrine.
Aggression against Russia by any nonnuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, is treated as a joint attack on the Russian Federation.
—Vladimir Putin
Target: This is indirectly aimed at Ukraine, who is pushing for permission from the United States to shoot long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. It is also aimed at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Ukraine is specifically seeking the Storm Shadow, a low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile made by the United Kingdom and France with U.S. components. They are faster than drones and capable of covering over 60 miles in 6 minutes.
Putin warned recently that the use of long-range missiles “would mean that nato countries, the United States and European countries are at war with Russia.”
Ambiguity: Some questions are still unanswered, such as who would be attacked, the attacking state or the sponsoring nuclear power? The unclear guidelines give Russia a way to back out of a nuclear response if it is attacked.
Should this be an aggression of the kind that threatens the very existence of the state? There is deliberate ambiguity here.
—Pavel Podvig, senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Studies
Because of this, some are dismissing Putin’s announcement as an empty threat. British Foreign Secretary David Lamy made light of the change, saying, “Putin threatens every few months to use nuclear weapons.” A Ukrainian analyst observed: “Whenever Putin starts talking about nuclear weapons, that means that Russia is not doing that well.”
It appears Russia is struggling to take Ukraine, but we know Russia will eventually come out on top as the leading Asian power.
Learn more: Read “The Persistent Fantasy of Vladimir Putin’s Demise.”
