Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized the country’s updated nuclear doctrine, bringing into force changes that he first announced in September. What are the updates about?
Under the current doctrine, in addition to the aforementioned clauses, Russia can also press the red button if:
There is an attack with the use of conventional weapons against Russia and (or) Belarus as members of the Union State, which poses “a critical threat to their sovereignty and (or) territorial integrity” (“the very existence of the state is at risk” term has been omitted).
There is "reliable information about a mass launch of means for an aerospace attack" (strategic and tactical warplanes, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as hypersonic and other systems) and their crossing of Russia’s state border.
Unlike the 2020 version, the new doctrine separately stipulates that Russia is authorized to use nuclear weapons if jointly attacked by "any non-nuclear state", which is supported by a country possessing nukes.
Additionally, the revised doctrine lists more threats that require counteraction through nuclear deterrence, among them the development of anti-ballistic missile systems, deployment of conventional weapon systems that can strike Russian territory, and potential sabotage plots to cause large-scale environmental disasters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has meanwhile stressed that changes to the doctrine were made in order to adapt "our vision of the use of nuclear weapons to the realities of the modern-day world."