Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Sunday that the Kremlin is changing its nuclear war policy in response to what it says is Western escalation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
The Russia-Ukraine war has raged on for more than two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022. Although Moscow aimed for a quick victory over its Eastern European neighbor, viewed as having a much smaller military, its spirited defense effort bolstered by Western aid, has blocked it from making substantial gains.
Recent weeks have seen Ukraine launch its own counteroffensive into Kursk—marking the first time Russian territory has been seized since World War II. Kyiv's offensive even sparked nuclear concerns from Moscow, which accused Ukraine last month of attempting to attack a nuclear power plant using drones.
The conflict has long raised concerns about whether Russia could deploy nuclear weapons. Putin has repeatedly made eyebrow-raising statements about nuclear weapons amid the war as Moscow has more nuclear warheads than any other country, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW).
On Sunday, Ryabkov told Tass that there is a "clear intent" to make changes to the nuclear doctrine, adding that the decision is "connected to our Western adversaries' escalation course" in connection with the Ukraine conflict.
"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], caused, among other things, by 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 added.
According to Reuters, the existing 2020 nuclear doctrine says Russia may use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.
However, Ryabkov did not say when the updated nuclear doctrine would be ready.
"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 told Tass.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries for comment via email.
Ryabkov's comments come after Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Thursday accused the United States of "trying to bring imbalance to the system of international security" in the nuclear sphere.
In June, Putin said the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons amid the war should "not be taken lightly" by the West.
"For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it...We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says," the Russian leader said, referring to his country's policy of allowing nuclear weapon usage if "the very existence of the state is put under threat."
"If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal," Putin added. "This should not be taken lightly, superficially."
This comes as the U.S. has been a key ally to Ukraine amid the conflict, with the Biden administration, along with many other world leaders, saying the invasion was unprovoked and lacks justification. Washington has given billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv that has proven crucial to its defense efforts.
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Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
