1000 days of war

Putin puts renewed nuclear doctrine into force

Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV)

Moscow is once again threatening nuclear retaliation. Not only in the event of a nuclear attack, but also in the event of a conventional attack on Russia or its ally Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed and enacted his country's renewed nuclear weapons doctrine on the 1000th day of the war of aggression he ordered against Ukraine. This was published on the Kremlin's website.

This applies if the attack "poses a critical threat to its sovereignty and/or territorial integrity". During the two and a half years of war, Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. The tightening of the nuclear doctrine announced months ago can also be understood as a declaration of war. The publication also comes shortly after the US decision, reported by the media, to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons against Russian territory.

Ukrainian drone swarms in Russia
Accordingly, Moscow regards aggression by a non-nuclear state that is supported by nuclear powers as a joint attack on Russia. A nuclear response should also be possible if enemy aircraft, cruise missiles or drones penetrate Russian territory en masse.