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Russia will make changes to its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in response to what it regards as Western escalation in the war in Ukraine, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Sunday.
The existing nuclear doctrine, set out in a decree by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, says Russia may use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.
Some hawks among Russia’s military analysts have urged Putin to lower the threshold for nuclear use in order to “sober up” Russia’s enemies in the West.
The only material changes I can see would be for Russia to move nuclear weapons into occupied Ukraine and/or resumes nuclear testing. Every other escalation does not result in a change their stance that can be perceived from outside Russia. Either of these events would cause an enormous elevation in the readiness and deployment of NATO forces and would risk uncontrolled escalation. How desperate is Putin now?