Putin says Russia has possible replacement for atomic weapons

Russia is not tightening, but improving its nuclear doctrine, Putin said regarding the recent update to the country’s nuclear posture. He explained that Russia needs to improve its new missile system more than it does its nuclear doctrine.

“What we need now is not to improve the nuclear doctrine, but the Oreshnik, because, if you look at it, a sufficient number of these modern systems… simply put us on the brink of virtually no need to use nuclear weapons,” the president added.

The Russian leader has warned that the use of Western-supplied long-range missiles would drastically “change the nature” of the Ukraine conflict and insisted that such sophisticated weapon systems could not be operated without the direct involvement of NATO personnel.

In November, Russia officially revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. According to the document, Moscow reserves the right to deploy its nuclear arsenal against a nuclear or conventional attack that poses “a critical threat to its sovereignty and/or territorial integrity”.

The updated nuclear doctrine states that an attack against the country by a foreign nation that does not have weapons of mass destruction, but is backed by a nuclear power, should be considered a joint attack by both.

Last week, after signing a security treaty with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian president noted that Oreshnik systems could be stationed in Belarus as early as the second half of next year, depending on how soon they enter regular service with Russia’s strategic forces.

Belarusian Deputy Chief of the General Staff Sergey Lagodyuk later stated that the decision to deploy Oreshniks in Belarus was a direct response to US plans to station medium-range missiles in Germany.