Russia is changing its nuclear doctrine because of Western escalation official warns

Russia is changing its nuclear doctrine in response to years of escalation from the West according to new comments from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. 

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for almost three years and it has deeply served ties between Moscow and Western countries as they support Kyiv. 

While Vladimir Putin may have been hoping to quickly conquer his neighbor, assistance in weapons and munitions has allowed Ukraine to mount a remarkably strong defense. 

The potential use of nuclear weapons has always been a possible threat since Moscow sent its soldiers into Ukraine, but the concern has never been more worrying than now. 

Ukraine's recent invasion of the Russian Kursk region has prompted concerns about the potential Russian use of nuclear weapons to defend its territory from Ukrainian forces. 

Newsweek reported that Putin has repeatedly made previous eyebrow-raising remarks about the possible use of nuclear weapons but they have yet to be used in the conflict. 

Whether or not Russian nuclear doctrine has prevented the use of nuclear weapons in the conflcit so far is unknown, but it’s clear from recent events that a big change is coming. 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated during a recent interview with The Russian News Agency (TASS) that Moscow is planning to change its nuclear war policy as a result of recent Western escalation. 

“As we have repeatedly said before, the work is in the advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to introduce a correction,” Ryabkov explained. 

Ryabkov added that the new changes were “due in large part to the study and analysis of the experience of conflict development in recent years.”

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister continued his comments by noting that everything was a response to the Kremlin’s Western opponents and their course of escalation with Russia. 

TASS reported that Ryabkov had previously warned recent actions by the West had prompted the Kremlin to reconsider its nuclear doctrine, but the changes could happen soon. 

"The time of completion of this work is a rather complicated issue, given the fact that we are talking about the most important aspects of ensuring our national security," Rybokov explained to TASS. 

Current Russian nuclear doctrine as understood by the publically available 2020 policy document ‘Foundations of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Area of Nuclear Deterrence’ has revealed the limited cases in which a nuclear weapon can be used.

The Russian policy document states that Moscow is authorized to use nuclear weapons if an adversary uses a nuclear weapon or any other kind of weapon of mass destruction against Russia or its allies according to TASS. 

What changes will be made to current Russian nuclear doctrine are still unknown, but it is possible stronger language and new situations will be added by Moscow to its nuclear policy to deter future incursions into its territory or military aid to the Kremlin’s enemies. 

In June 2024, Putin referred to Russian nuclear doctrine as a “living instrument” and explained that it could be changed according to a report from Reuters.

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