On September 25, 2024, President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in Moscow about nuclear deterrence. He warned that Russia is changing its rules on nuclear weapons, lowering the threshold for their use. Experts believe this is meant to scare the U. S. and its allies as Ukraine pressures NATO members to allow missile strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Putin detailed changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine during a televised Security Council meeting. He stated that any attack posing a “critical threat” to Russia’s sovereignty, involving support from a nuclear power, would be seen as a “joint attack on the Russian Federation.”
This implies that if Ukraine uses Western missiles against Russia and it poses a critical threat, Moscow will consider Western allies as attackers too as this scenario now meets Russia’s updated criteria for using nuclear weapons. Putin listed air and space attack assets such as strategic aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic vehicles crossing into Russian territory or attacking Belarus (Moscow’s closest ally) could validate this response.
So, what does this mean?
As previously mentioned, Putin’s announcement aims to deter the West from letting Ukraine use long-range missiles inside Russia.
For the last two years, Putin has been hinting at a possible nuclear response to Ukraine and its NATO allies. Now, he’s taken the next step to change Russia’s policy on using nuclear weapons. But, the end game remains the same. Should he use nuclear weapons on any NATO nation, Russia would be met with a harsh military response, whether nuclear or not.
If Putin’s is genuine and this is not just a scare tactic, it not only escalates tensions but also undermines global stability and security. The implications of such a reckless stance cannot be overstated as it brings us closer to a catastrophic scenario that could have devastating consequences worldwide.
Let’s not forget that Russia started this war by invading Ukraine, not vice versa.
Putin is like that schoolyard bully who throws a tantrum when one of the kids he’s been picking on finally lands a punch right on his nose.
Russia has the largest global nuclear arsenal with 6,000 warheads; some are stationed in Belarus.
