On Tuesday, 19th November, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a revised nuclear doctrine, only days after the US authorized Ukraine’s use of longer-range missiles against Moscow. The development came as Kyiv launched its first strike on a Russian border territory with Western-supplied missiles. The latest revelations heighten the looming prospect of a nuclear escalation as the war enters its 1000th day.
According to the recently approved regulation, aggression against Russia or its allies by a non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack. Simply put, an assault by Ukraine on Russia or its ally Belarus would be regarded as a combined US-Ukraine attack, perhaps leading to a nuclear reaction.
The broad phrasing appears to dramatically expand the triggers for a potential nuclear conflict. An earlier version of the document indicated that Russia may use its nuclear weapons if reliable information about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the territory of Russia or its allies was acquired.
“Aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies on the part of any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state is considered as their joint attack. The aggression of any state from a military coalition (bloc, union) against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies is considered as aggression by the coalition (bloc, union) as a whole,” the doctrine said.
Meanwhile, RBC Ukraine announced on Tuesday that the country has launched its first strike on a Russian border territory, using Western-supplied missiles. Ukrainian soldiers reportedly launched their attack as President Vladimir Putin approved a new nuclear doctrine that broadened the parameters for launching nuclear weapons. It was the first known attack following the decision made by the Joe Biden administration.
Ukraine has been firing homemade drones far into Russia for months, but US weapons are more lethal. Ukrainian officials have stated that they require the capacity to target Russian air bases and planes used for glide-bomb and missile attacks.
The ballistic missiles, produced by the US aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin, have a striking distance roughly double that of most of Ukraine’s armaments, reaching up to 300 kilometers. The United States has given Ukraine dozens of ATACMS missiles, which have already been deployed to destroy military sites in Russian-occupied Ukraine, including Crimea.
