Back and forth. While a high-ranking Russian military is dealing with the use of nuclear weapons, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow is reassuring.
After speculation about a possible nuclear escalation in the Ukraine war, Russia underlined the purely defensive nature of its nuclear doctrine. In the current turbulent situation, the most important task is to “avoid any military confrontation between nuclear powers,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Monday.
READ MORE: Russian military officials talk about the use of nuclear weapons
In its policy of deterrence, Russia adheres to the fact that nuclear war is inadmissible. There are no winners in such a war and it must never be unleashed. Russian doctrine is deeply defensive: it only allows the use of nuclear weapons if Russia itself is attacked with weapons of mass destruction or in the case of a conventional attack “that threatens the existence of the state”. This is not subject to any interpretation or extension.
Russia’s nuclear forces alarmed
Shortly after the February 24 attack on Ukraine, Russia raised its nuclear forces to a higher level of readiness, presumably to deter potential Ukrainian military supporters. The West recently speculated that Russia could respond to Ukraine’s military failures in late summer by deploying a tactical nuclear bomb.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing US information, that senior Russian military officials had considered using such a bomb. Putin was not involved in the discussion. The intelligence discoveries in mid-October caused concern in Washington.
Navigation account 20 minutes, mr. Time 02.11.2022, 20:23 | Act: 11.02.2022, 20:23