Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised national nuclear doctrine that expands the conditions under which Moscow may use its nuclear weapons, making it easier to justify retaliation against a NATO member for helping Ukraine.
The updated doctrine now states that Russia will consider as a joint attack any attack from a nonnuclear country backed by a nuclear power. It also noted that the country could retaliate with nuclear force to a conventional weapons attack that threatens its sovereignty.
“Russia’s new nuclear doctrine means NATO missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia. Russia could retaliate with WMD [weapons of mass destruction] against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they’re located. That means World War III,” Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and the deputy chair of Russia’s security council, wrote in a post on X. Läs artikel