Current Doctrine Allows the Use of Nukes
in Response to a Conventional Attack that
“Threatens the Existence of the State”
Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

(September 1, 2024) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Sunday that Moscow will change its nuclear doctrine in response to Western escalations related to the war in Ukraine.

“As we have repeatedly said before, the work is in the advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to introduce a correction [to the nuclear doctrine],” Ryabkov told the Russian news agency TASS.

Ryabkov said the doctrine would be updated based on “the examination and analysis of development of recent conflicts, including, of course, everything connected to our Western adversaries’ escalation course in regards to the special military operation.”

Ryabkov said it was too early to say when the doctrine would be updated. “The timeframe for its completion is a rather complicated issue, considering that we are talking about the most important aspect of our national security,” he said.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine was last updated in 2020. It allows for the use of nuclear weapons if Russia faces a nuclear attack or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the Russian state.

Ryabkov’s comments come amid fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, an offensive Ukraine is carrying out with US and NATO support. The US is allowing Ukraine to use US-provided armored vehicles, bombs, and missiles inside the Russian territory, marking a significant escalation in the proxy war.

The US claims that it was not involved in the planning of the Kursk invasion, but a Ukrainian soldier said last week that Western intelligence was crucial for carrying out the cross-border assault.

Ukrainian Soldier Says Western Intelligence
Was Used for Kursk Attack Inside Russia
Says Kursk Invasion Was to Dmoralize Russians
Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

(August 29, 2024) — A Ukrainian soldier speaking to the Japanese broadcaster NHK has said that Western intelligence was used to monitor Russian troop activity in Russia’s Kursk Oblast before Ukrainian forces launched an invasion of the region.

“He says the Ukrainian military surveilled Kursk using drones and satellites, and detailed intelligence data provided by the West was crucial for the operation,” NHK reported.

The US has denied that it was involved in the planning of the invasion but has offered strong support by allowing Ukrainian forces to use US-provided armored vehicles, missiles, and bombs. Ukraine is now pushing hard for the US to allow its weapons to be used for long-range strikes.

The Ukrainian soldier, who was described as a spokesman for a Ukrainian brigade, suggested one purpose of the invasion of Kursk was to demoralize the Russian civilian population.

“We should not forget about the moral and psychological factor of the Russian civilian population,” he said. “Our operation was planned both tactically and as a move to demoralize the enemy.”

While the fighting continues in Kursk, Russian forces are making steady gains in the Donbas and moving more rapidly toward the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk. There’s no sign the violence will end anytime soon, as Russia is now ruling out peace talks with Ukraine following the Kursk invasion.