Russia’s Putin Warns of Nuclear Response to Conventional Attack, Lowers Threshold for Use in Revised Doctrine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning, stating that Russia could respond to a conventional attack with nuclear weapons, even if the attack is launched by a non-nuclear power, Al Jazeera reports.

The announcement comes as part of a major revision to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which was unveiled during a televised meeting of the Security Council.

The revised doctrine defines an attack on Russia with the “participation or support of a nuclear power” as a “joint attack on the Russian Federation.” It also states that Russia could resort to nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack that poses a “critical threat to our sovereignty,” a vaguely defined term that leaves considerable room for interpretation.

Putin stressed that Russia’s nuclear arsenal would be used in response to attacks posing a “critical threat to our sovereignty,” which could include a conventional attack using conventional weapons, but could also be interpreted more broadly.

The revisions lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons, raising concerns among international observers. The move comes amid the conflict in Ukraine, as the West mulls providing Kyiv with longer-range weapons capable of striking deep inside Russia. It also follows a Ukrainian assault on Russia’s Kursk region last month.

While Putin did not explicitly mention Ukraine, he asserted that the changes to the nuclear doctrine were necessary due to a rapidly shifting global landscape that has created new threats and risks for Russia.

The revision also includes a provision to bring Belarus under Russia’s nuclear umbrella. This means that Russia could potentially use its nuclear arsenal to defend Belarus in case of an attack.

This change significantly alters Russia’s nuclear posture, marking a departure from the 2020 doctrine, which stated that nuclear weapons could be used in case of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatened the very existence of the state.

Putin further stated that the revised doctrine clarifies the conditions for using nuclear weapons, particularly in the case of a massive air attack. He outlined that a “massive launch of air and space attack assets” crossing Russia’s border, including strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic vehicles, and other flying vehicles, could trigger a nuclear response.

Russia and the US possess a significant majority of the world’s nuclear warheads, controlling 88% of the global stockpile.