Why is Russia changing its nuclear doctrine amid the Ukraine war?
Al JazeeraRussia’s nuclear threats over the course of the war are a tactic to contain US involvement in Ukraine, experts say. Russia is amending its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons as a response to perceived Western involvement in the Ukraine war, its Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Sunday. Under the doctrine, Russia can use nuclear weapons in “response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies”. In October 2023, Putin said there was no need to amend its nuclear doctrine because if another country attacked it with nuclear weapons, Russia would respond within a split second with hundreds of nuclear weapons. In March 2024, when Putin was asked in an interview whether Russia was ready for nuclear war, he responded: “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready.” However, he added that Russia has never felt the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.