What is known about Putin's nuclear threats and how Ukraine is responding

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has once again begun to intimidate the world with nuclear weapons. This time he announced changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine that will expand the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.

What is the nuclear doctrine, what changes did Putin announce, and how does Ukraine react to it - in the RBC-Ukraine article.

What Putin said about nuclear weapons

On the evening of Wednesday, September 25, Russian media reported on a meeting of the Russian Security Council on nuclear deterrence with Putin's participation. The dictator said that he had decided to amend the Russian nuclear doctrine.

A nuclear doctrine is a document that defines the conditions under which a nuclear-armed country can use its nuclear weapons to strike another state.

Currently, Russia's nuclear doctrine provides for the possibility of a nuclear strike in four cases

• launching a ballistic missile that attacks Russia or its ally;

• use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its ally;

• the enemy's impact on critical state or military facilities;

• aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons, when the existence of the state is threatened.

The last point generally allows Russia to use nuclear weapons even now, but Putin has decided to add several more reasons for a nuclear strike to the doctrine.

According to the dictator, he wants the Russian doctrine to provide for a nuclear strike in the event of aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, a massive launch of strategic or tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, and even drones towards Russia, as well as aggression against Belarus.

Not the first nuclear threats by the Russian Federation

These are not the first nuclear threats by the Kremlin leader and the Russian leadership in general since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For example, the current deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes against Ukraine and the West.

In addition, last year Russia moved its nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus, after which the head of the Belarusian regime, Alexander Lukashenko, repeatedly threatened Europe with their use.

During the full-scale war, Russia also conducted several military exercises involving the so-called “nuclear triad” - strategic aviation, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and nuclear submarines.

Putin himself has repeatedly threatened with nuclear weapons in the past. In particular, the dictator stated that Russia was “technically ready” for a nuclear war, and that Russian nuclear forces were on full alert.

How Ukraine reacts to Putin's statement

Ukraine has already reacted to the Kremlin leader's latest nuclear statements. The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, called the dictator's statements nuclear blackmail on his Telegram channel, saying that Russia no longer has any other tools to intimidate the world.

“These tools will not work,” he emphasized.

At the same time, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Presidential Administration, explained during the telethon that Putin had once again started intimidating the world with nuclear weapons because he did not know how to stop Ukrainian strikes against Russia and the operations of the Armed Forces on Russian territory. Moreover, the Russians have used all non-nuclear weapons against Ukraine, but have not been able to win.

“Traditional propaganda and traditional threats do not work... Of course, Russia is trying to use the last argument today, the argument of fearful people that they have nuclear weapons,” Podolyak said.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, also believes that the Russian dictator's statement is blackmail. In his opinion, this is due to Putin's fear of Ukrainian weapons, which deprive Russia of strategic weapons depots, thus harming its ability to continue terror.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 26/09/2024