Russian President Vladimir Putin announced revisions to Russia’s nuclear doctrine which states that support for a non-nuclear state, i.e. Ukraine, by a nuclear power, which is US, would be considered a “joint-attack against the Russian Federation.”

With the revised doctrine, Putin asserted that Russia should be allowed to use nuclear arms in the event of an attack by a non-nuclear nation backed by a nuclear power.

Putin proposed to “introduce several clarifications in defining the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.” Thus, the draft of the fundamentals (Fundamentals of State Policy in the field of nuclear deterrence), expands the category of states and military alliances in response to which nuclear deterrence is carried out.

“The revised version of the document proposes to consider the aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the support of a nuclear state as their joint attack against the Russian Federation.”

-Vladimir Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging allies to allow Kyiv to launch conventional missiles into Russian territory, targeting bases from which Russia launches attacks into Ukraine.

However, Putin further clarified that a conventional missile attack would also cause the state to consider nuclear warfare. “The conditions for Russia’s transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly stated. We will consider this possibility upon receiving reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack weapons and their crossing of our state border. I mean strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other aircraft” he said.

Conventional missile strikes against Moscow are included in possible nuclear scenarios. Putin stated that Russia will use nuclear weapons if a missile aircraft or drone threatens the nation’s sovereignty.

“I will say that all clarifications are deeply verified and proportionate to modern military threats and risks in relation to the Russian Federation.”

-Vladimir Putin

Putin announced the expansion to nuclear doctrine after meeting his security council. The revised document proposes that any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear state, will be considered a joint attack against the Russian Federation. This expansion of the doctrine significantly alters the strategic landscape, potentially increasing the risk of nuclear confrontation.

Russia reserved the right to also use nuclear weapons if it or ally Belarus were the subject of aggression, including by conventional weapons.

“We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in event of aggression against Russia and Belarus. As a member of the Union State, all these issues have been agreed upon by the Belarusian side and with the President of Belarus. This includes cases when an enemy using conventional weapons poses a critical threat to our sovereignty”, said Putin.

In response, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak urged the western powers to exercise caution when deliberating on Russia’s statements. “Russia no longer has any instruments to intimidate the world apart from nuclear blackmail,” Yermak stated, “These instruments will not work.”

“The nuclear triad remains the most important guarantee of ensuring the security of our state and citizens, an instrument for maintaining strategic parity and balance of power in the world,” Putin said.

Putin concluded by reaffirming the importance of Russia’s nuclear capabilities: “The nuclear triad remains the most important guarantee of ensuring the security of our state and citizens, an instrument for maintaining strategic parity and balance of power in the world.”

Ukraine’s request to fire conventional weaponry has been deliberated upon by the US and its NATO allies. However, the US has trodden carefully, fearing an all-out nuclear war as a result of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to Reuters, Russia and the US hold a dominant supremacy on global nuclear status, controlling 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons.

Most Severe Threat Since the Cold War

The last time that the US and Russia were teetering on the edge of a nuclear war was in 1962, when the Soviet Union installed missiles aimed at the US in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US coast.

Termed the Cuban missile crisis, it began when U.S. reconnaissance flights over Cuba revealed the construction of Soviet missile sites. These sites were capable of launching nuclear missiles that could reach most of the eastern United States within minutes. The Soviet Union, led by Premier Nikita Khrushchev, had placed these missiles in Cuba to counterbalance US missiles stationed in Turkey and Italy, which threatened the Soviet Union.

On October 22, former US President John F. Kennedy addressed the nation, revealing the presence of the missiles and announcing a naval blockade, or “quarantine,” of Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments. The blockade was a strategic move to avoid immediate military confrontation while exerting pressure on the Soviet Union. The US also provided an ultimatum threatening full-scale retaliation in the event of aggression by the Soviet Union.

What followed was a 13-day confrontation between the two countries, where both sides were frantically trying to avoid an all-out nuclear confrontation through diplomatic channels. The confrontation came to an end on October 28, when Soviet Union’s Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile sites in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba.

Secretly, the US also agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey, though this part of the agreement was not made public at the time. De-escalating these tensions are considered to be JFK’s greatest achievement in his political career. The crisis led to the establishment of a direct communication line between Washington and Moscow, known as the “Hotline,” to prevent future misunderstandings.