Putin approves Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree approving the Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, the country’s updated nuclear doctrine.

The document has been published.

The fundamental principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty. The emergence of new military threats and risks prompted Russia to clarify the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.

In particular, the amended doctrine expands the range of countries and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the list of military threats that such deterrence is designed to counter. In addition, the document states that Russia will now view any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack. Moscow also reserves the right to consider a nuclear response to a conventional weapons attack threatening its sovereignty, a large-scale launch of enemy aircraft, missiles, and drones targeting Russian territory, their crossing of the Russian border, and an attack on its ally Belarus.

The previous version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine was approved in June 2020, replacing a similar document that had been in force for ten years.