Moscow: In response to escalating tensions and actions by the “collective West,” Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday. This review comes as the Kremlin attributes the need for policy changes to the increased involvement of Washington and its allies in the Ukraine conflict.
Russia has indicated plans to amend its nuclear policy, though specific details of the changes remain undisclosed. The current doctrine, established by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, permits the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear strike by an adversary or a conventional attack that threatens the state’s existence.
Peskov highlighted that the revisions are being made “against the backdrop of the challenges and threats provoked by the countries of the so-called collective West.” He noted that Moscow is considering the potential for Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.
Ukraine has increasingly pressed its allies to enable strikes on targets within Russia using Western weaponry, a demand that has intensified as Russia escalates its airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and residential areas.
“It is obvious that the Ukrainians will do this,” Peskov was quoted by RIA. “We are taking all this into account.”
This development follows a recent deadly attack on Ukraine’s military institute in Poltava, where two ballistic missiles killed at least 50 people and injured 271, marking the war’s deadliest single attack this year.
