Russia's Putin signs revised doctrine that limits the use of nuclear weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a general attack on Russia by any nuclear-backed country would be considered a coordinated attack on his country.
Putin's approval of a new nuclear deterrence policy comes on the 1,000th day after he sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The signing follows an apparent decision by the US to allow Ukraine to hit the border between Russia and Russia with long-range missiles supplied by the Americans, first read in reports published over the weekend.
The Russian Defense Ministry, as reported by Russian news agencies on Tuesday, said that Ukraine attacked the Bryansk region overnight with US-made ATACMS long-range missiles. Debris from the firing of one missile fell on the military base and started a fire, but five others were caught, the report said.
The attack did not cause any injuries or damage, the Ministry said.
Asked about the attack on the weapons depot in the Russian Bryansk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv now has US ATACMS systems and its long-range capabilities, and will use them all.
'Irresponsible remarks'
The signing of the doctrine, which says any major Russian airstrike could trigger nuclear weapons, shows Putin's readiness to threaten the use of that country's nuclear weapons to force the West to back down as Moscow presses a slow-moving offensive in Ukraine.
Asked whether the revised doctrine was deliberately issued after the US decision to ease restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles to attack Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the document was published “at the right time” and that Putin had ordered it. the government updated it earlier this year to “fit in with the current situation.”
After nearly three years of bombings, many Ukrainians are welcoming the possibility of retreating deeper into Russian territory as the US is warned not to escalate the war.
The Russian president has warned the US and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory would mean Russia and NATO are at war.
The White House National Security Council in a statement issued by a spokesman indicated that the change in doctrine is not surprising and “there are similar expressions of irresponsibility from Russia.”
“As we see no change in Russia's nuclear posture, we see no reason to adjust our nuclear posture or our doctrine in response to Russia's statements today,” the statement said.
Including countries that support nuclear attacks
The revised doctrine states that an attack on his country by a non-nuclear power “with the participation or support of nuclear power” would be seen as “a concerted attack on the Russian Federation.”
It does not specify whether such an attack would trigger a nuclear response. It mentions the “uncertainty of the scale, timing and location of the possible use of a nuclear deterrent” among the key principles of nuclear deterrence.
Defense Minister Bill Blair says Canada supports the Biden administration's recent decision to allow Ukraine to fire US-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory.
At the same time, it describes the conditions for using nuclear weapons in detail compared to the previous version of the doctrine, noting that it can be used in the event of a major air attack involving ballistic and cruise missiles, airplanes, drones and other flying vehicles. .
The broad formulation seems to greatly expand the causes of the use of nuclear weapons compared to the previous version of the document, which said that Russia can affect its atomic weapons if “reliable information is obtained about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the territory of Russia or its allies.”
The revised doctrine assumes that Russia could use nuclear weapons in response to aggression against its ally Belarus.
Belarus' dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 30 years, has come to rely on Russian funding and support. He allowed Russia to use his country's territory to send troops into Ukraine and allowed the Kremlin to plant some of its strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Another attack by Sumy kills several
Advancing town by town, Russia since August has recorded its fastest gains in Ukraine since the first year of the war.
Russian troops said they captured the Ukrainian territory of Novoselydivka in Eastern Ukraine, TASS news agency said on Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Defense.
Meanwhile, 12 people, including a child, were killed in an attack by a Russian warplane in the northeastern region of Ukraine, Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
A nighttime drone attack on a residential building in the small town of Hlukhiv on the border with Russia also injured 13 people, including three children, Ukrainian police said.
Ukraine's air force said it shot down 51 drones and lost track of another 30 after Russia launched 87 drones overnight. Drones that disappear from radar are often brought down by Ukraine's electronic defenses.
Russian forces have attacked the northeastern region of Sumy in recent months, damaging its vital and civilian infrastructure.
A missile strike on Sunday killed 11 people, injured 89 and knocked out power to thousands.
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