Russia revises nuclear strike threshold against NATO members, Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised national nuclear doctrine that expands the conditions under which Moscow may use its nuclear weapons, making it easier to justify retaliation against a NATO member for helping Ukraine.

The updated doctrine now states that Russia will consider as a joint attack any attack from a nonnuclear country backed by a nuclear power. It also noted that the country could retaliate with nuclear force to a conventional weapons attack that threatens its sovereignty.

“Russia’s new nuclear doctrine means NATO missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia. Russia could retaliate with WMD [weapons of mass destruction] against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they’re located. That means World War III,” Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and the deputy chair of Russia’s security council, wrote in a post on X.

The news came shortly after United States President Joe Biden on Monday decided to allow Ukraine to use American long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia, which Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said will lead to a “new round of tensions.”

The Kremlin has previously warned that lifting such restrictions would be considered “an act of war.”

The Unites States said it will not adjust its own nuclear posture in response to Russia.

“As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks,” the White House National Security Council told Reuters in a statement.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday said that Kyiv fired U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at a facility in Bryansk region. Senior American and Ukrainian officials confirmed the news, first reported by The New York Times.

Separately, Russia on Tuesday began mass production of mobile nuclear shelters, which can be used to protect people from nuclear explosion or radioactive contamination, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.