Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday endorsed the country’s nuclear deterrent policy, which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the country’s critical government and military infrastructure.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on approving the Fundamentals of the country’s nuclear containment state policy. The document replaces a similar one approved 10 years ago, which was in force until 2020. The new document, unlike the previous one, was published and posted on the official legal information website on Tuesday. The new fundamentals confirm that Russia’s state nuclear deterrent policy is of defensive nature.
Former Chief of Staff the Strategic Missile Forces, retired Colonel-General Viktor Yesin told TASS that in Russia this document was a supplement to a military doctrine, which was not a secret, but was not published. A similar document titled “Nuclear Posture Review” is regularly published in the US.
“The expert community has long insisted on publishing it too, so that we would not be accused of doctrines invented by the Americans, such as “escalation for de-escalation,” that is to use nuclear weapons to achieve victory in a military conflict with conventional weapons. To prevent fakes made out of our reality, there must be an open visor,” Yesin said.
Editor-in-Chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland journal Viktor Murakhovsky told TASS the new document includes what was earlier written down in the national security strategy, military doctrine and the president’s speeches.
According to Murakhovsky, the document is also a signal for Russia’s partners in the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) and other member-states of the UN Security Council. This document is addressed to the US and its allies, which host the forces and equipment that Russia deems as a threat.
“It describes in detail the conditions of using nuclear weapons,” he explained. “This is the example of transparency and a signal that if New START is not extended, we are going to pursue our own policy based on this document,” he noted.
