Putin threatens nuclear weapons if Ukraine wins

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's statement about the possibility of changing Russia's nuclear doctrine is a direct threat to use nuclear weapons if the West allows Ukraine to win the war. However, it is highly unlikely that this threat will lead to an actual nuclear escalation.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

At a press conference on June 20 in Hanoi, Putin said that Russia was considering amending its nuclear doctrine in response to alleged discussions in the West about "lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and developing less powerful weapons."

The dictator's statement was likely partly in response to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's remarks on June 17 that NATO members are discussing increased nuclear preparedness in the face of growing threats from Russia and China, although Stoltenberg said nothing about "lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons."

ISW reminds that Russia's nuclear doctrine allows the use of nuclear weapons only in "exceptional cases" of a threat to Russia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Institute suggests that Putin, in particular, defined a possible strategic defeat of Russia in Ukraine as "the end of [Russian] statehood."

At the press conference, Putin added that defeat on the battlefield would mean the end of the "thousand-year history" of the Russian state, and that Russia should fight to the end.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 21/06/2024