❗️❗️ Putin approves revised Russian nuclear doctrine (Update: Full Text)

UPDATE: Formal translation from the Russian MFA.

✍️ Russia’s President Vladimir Putin approved the new Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence, signing the attendant Executive Order on November 19, 2024.

Key items:

• State policy on Nuclear Deterrence is defensive by nature, it is aimed at maintaining the nuclear forces potential at the level sufficient for nuclear deterrence, and guarantees protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State, and deterrence of a potential adversary from aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies.

• The Russian Federation considers nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, their use being an extreme and compelled measure, and takes all necessary efforts to reduce nuclear threat and prevent aggravation of interstate relations, that could trigger military conflicts, including nuclear ones.

• The Russian Federation ensures nuclear deterrence toward a potential adversary, which is understood to mean any individual states or military coalitions (blocs, alliances) which see the Russian Federation as a potential adversary and possess nuclear arms and/or other weapons of mass destruction or conventional forces with a significant combat capability.

• Nuclear deterrence is also ensured toward any states which provide the territory, airspace, and/or maritime space under their control as well as resources for preparing and conducting an aggression against the Russian Federation.

• An aggression of any single state from a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and/or its allies will be regarded as an aggression of the coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole.

• An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies of any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be regarded as their joint attack.

• The decision to use nuclear weapons is taken by the President of the Russian Federation.

UPDATE: Full Text from Sputnik. This is an unofficial translation at this stage.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241119/full-text-of-russias-updated-nuclear-doctrine-1120932192.html

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At the time of writing, I cannot yet find a formal translation of the published document. No doubt one will be available soon.

From TASS

The fundamental principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree approving the Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, the country’s updated nuclear doctrine.

The document has been published.

The fundamental principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty. The emergence of new military threats and risks prompted Russia to clarify the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.

In particular, the amended doctrine expands the range of countries and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the list of military threats that such deterrence is designed to counter. In addition, the document states that Russia will now view any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack. Moscow also reserves the right to consider a nuclear response to a conventional weapons attack threatening its sovereignty, a large-scale launch of enemy aircraft, missiles, and drones targeting Russian territory, their crossing of the Russian border, and an attack on its ally Belarus.

The previous version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine was approved in June 2020, replacing a similar document that had been in force for ten years.

From Ria.ru

Putin approved the basics of Russia’s state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence

MOSCOW, November 19-RIA Novosti. Vladimir Putin approved the Fundamentals of state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence, the presidential decree and the text of the document itself were posted on the website of the official publication of legal acts.

“Guaranteed deterrence of a potential enemy from aggression against the Russian Federation and / or its allies is among the highest state priorities. Deterrence of aggression is ensured by the entire military power of the Russian Federation, including nuclear weapons, ” the document says.

The State Policy Framework sets out the characteristics of nuclear deterrence and sets out the conditions for Russia’s transition to the use of nuclear weapons:

state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence is defensive in nature;
Russia considers nuclear weapons as a deterrent, the use of which is an extreme and necessary measure;

deterring a potential enemy from aggression against Russia and its allies is one of the highest state priorities;

Russia can use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against itself or Belarus, if a critical threat to territorial integrity is created. ;

the aggression of any state from the military coalition against Russia or its allies is considered as the aggression of this coalition as a whole;

aggression against Russia or its allies by a non-nuclear State with the support of a nuclear State is considered a joint attack;

Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies;

Russia exercises nuclear deterrence against potential adversaries: states, blocs, and alliances that view Russia as an adversary.

The document also reveals the essence of nuclear deterrence:

the state policy on nuclear deterrence is aimed at maintaining the potential of nuclear forces at a sufficient level for nuclear deterrence;

uncertainty for a potential enemy of the scale and location of the use of nuclear forces attributed to the principles of nuclear deterrence;

nuclear deterrence is aimed at ensuring that the potential enemy understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against Russia;

state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence in a military conflict guarantees the cessation of hostilities on conditions acceptable to Russia;

maintaining the constant readiness of a dedicated part of the nuclear deterrent forces for use is attributed to the principles of Russia’s nuclear deterrence.

Russia is making all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat;

the deployment of missile defense systems in outer space by the enemy is a danger that nuclear deterrence is used to neutralize;

centralization of control of nuclear forces, including those located outside the territory of Russia, is attributed to the principles of nuclear deterrence;

Nuclear deterrence is ensured by the presence of the Russian Armed Forces with forces and means capable of causing unacceptable damage to the enemy with nuclear weapons.

Putin proposed updating the Fundamentals of state policy on September 25 at a meeting of the Security Council on nuclear deterrence.