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By Hugh Cameron and Michael D. Carroll
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President Vladimir Putin has approved Russia's updated nuclear doctrine to share the country's nuclear deterrence with its allies—mirroring NATO's "attack on one member is an attack on all" doctrine.
The Kremlin document, published by the Russian Defense Ministry on Telegram, replaces earlier decrees and takes effect from Tuesday. The new policy states that Russian nuclear deterrence will be exercised "against a potential enemy" and views nuclear weapon use as an "extreme measure."
The decree emphasizes that Russia's top state priority is deterring aggression from potential adversaries against itself and its allies. It adds that nuclear deterrence should ensure "an understanding by a potential adversary of the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies."
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The decree also asserts that Russia is committed to "making all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat" and aims to prevent escalating tensions between states that could lead to "military conflicts, including nuclear ones."
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The updated guidelines were first unveiled by Putin in late September, at which point former President Dmitry Medvedev said the new policy should be considered a response to the "neo-Nazi" Ukrainian regime and its allies for "pushing the world towards a nuclear catastrophe."
Medvedev was referring to Kyiv's continual push for permission to use Western-supplied weaponry for long-range strikes inside Russian territory.
This permission has now been granted by President Joe Biden, U.S. officials told AP*,* Reuters and several other news agencies on Sunday. The president reportedly authorized the use of the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for this purpose, a move that a former Ukrainian defense minister told the Financial Times would allow Kyiv to "potentially disrupt Russian operations."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for further information on the new guidelines and to inquire whether the move was in response to Biden's decision on long-range strikes.
According to the Telegram channel Baza, said to have links to Russia's intelligence services, the large-scale launch of missiles against Russia—including those carried by ATACMS—would provide grounds for retaliatory action by Moscow under the new guidelines.
Actions "aimed at isolating part of the territory of the Russian Federation," are also included as preconditions for a nuclear response, according to a translation of the document from Russian outlet RBC.
As well as outlining the parameters for the use of nuclear weapons based on threats to its own territorial integrity, the updated guidelines would regard Belarus, a close ally of Russia, as protected by the country's nuclear umbrella, with any attack on the country viewed as an attack against Moscow itself and meriting a response.
Mariana Budjeryn, senior research associate at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, previously told Newsweek that, while the new guidelines were threatening in their language, they did not represent a "drastic" alteration of the country's guidelines on nuclear weapons use.
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Update 11/19/24 4:48 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional context on Russia's updated nuclear deterrence policy.
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