Russia Kremlin dampens fears of Russian use of nuclear weapons
Following the furor over changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine, the Kremlin is once again raising the bar for the possible use of nuclear weapons. The fighting in the Ukraine war should not always be immediately associated with a Russian nuclear response, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow.
30.09.2024, 15:11
SDA
According to unconfirmed military information, the Russian air defense had fended off 125 Ukrainian drones on Sunday. On Monday, Peskov addressed the question of whether this did not constitute a massive air attack, to which Russia could respond with nuclear weapons according to the new doctrine.
War against Ukraine "is taking its course"
"One should not refer too much to this document, it is an important document," he said about the nuclear doctrine. "Important decisions have been taken, they are being written down accordingly. But the special military operation is going on without the need to constantly draw any connections," he said, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Last week, head of state Vladimir Putin announced extended rules for the possible use of nuclear weapons in a threatening tone. According to these rules, Russia could also consider air strikes on its territory to be an existential threat or attacks by a non-nuclear-armed country that is supported by nuclear powers. Western security experts differ in their assessment of the danger of this nuclear threat. So far, only rhetoric has come from Moscow, wrote Fabian Hoffmann, a German military expert researching in Oslo, on X. There are no signs that indicate preparations for the use of nuclear weapons. "There is a high probability that Putin will never resort to nuclear weapons because the risks are too high."
