Russia Expands Nuclear Doctrine Amid Escalating Tensions with the West

According to a newly published updated doctrine, Moscow will consider aggression from any non-nuclear state, especially if a nuclear state is involved, as a joint attack against it.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin issued new nuclear threats, stating that the revised military doctrine could lower the threshold for the first use of nuclear weapons.

In a phone call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that the changes mean Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to conventional aggression against itself or Belarus.

Nuclear deterrence is a key part of Russia’s military doctrine, and the revision seems to expand the definition of what constitutes aggression towards Russia.

Peskov noted, “An important aspect of this document is that nuclear deterrence aims to ensure that a potential adversary understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation or its allies.”

This change comes as the Kremlin reacts to the Biden administration’s decision to allow Ukraine to use powerful U.S. long-range weapons within Russia. The Russian government has already labeled this a dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine.

This is a developing story.