Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine per today’s speech by Vladimir Putin

My news today will be brief due to reduced internet access. But I believe the essence is of highest importance since it concerns a very detailed restatement of Russian thinking about deterrance that followed from U.S. and British plans to give Kiev unlimited use of their long range missiles to strike theRussian heartland

A little more than a week ago, just before British Prime Minister Starmer arrived in Washington for what was expected to be an announcement of joint approval of such use of the Storm Shadow, Vladimir Putin told journalist Pavel Zarubîn on the sidelînes of the St Petersburg Cultural Forum that Russia will consider use of British., American or other long range missiles against its territiory as changing the nature of the present proxy war into a direct Russia NATO war and will respond appropriately

That was a vague threat. After all he did not specify what appropriately meant However it was a sufficient change of tone from Moscow for the Pentagon to have taken note and for the Starmer visit to have been emptied of content: the White House said there was no change in its policy on the prohibition on strikes inside Russia

Nonetheless as I reported immediately afterwards the Kremlin did not believe these public statements and the most authoritative talk show. The Great Game was saying that Moscow was proceeding on the assumption that Washington would give Zelensky the permission he seeks in a week or two when the furore died down.

Tonight’s Great Game has provided a lengthy video clip from Putin’s new and latest restatement of Russian nuclear doctrine which it explained in the lapidary clear terms of its own expert panelists

Underlying the new doctrine is a changed understanding of Washington’s nuclear strategy as it has evolved from global strike from the US triad to use of massive combined attack using tactical and strategic aircraft plus medium to long range cruise and hypersonic missiles based in Europe and in the Far East

The evolving situation in Ukraine fits into the new US vision of a decapitating strike on Russia that first destroys Russia’s land based nuclear force

Accordingly Russia now declares that any attack on its territory by a non nuclear state using missiles and other long range weapons such as the F-16 provided by and guided by a nuclear state (meaning the USA, Britain or France) will be considered as a joint attack by the nuclear and non nuclear state and may prompt a Russian nuclear attack on both

Note the timing of the Russian announcement: it comes just before Biden’s meeting in Washington with Zelensky and while the UN General Assembly is in session. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavriv is presently in New York and is explaining the new nuclear doctrine to all those interested, of whom there are assuredly a great many world leaders

G. Doctorow