After Putin’s Threat, Russian Official: Moscow Adjusts Protocols for Using Its Nuclear Arsenal

The Russian news agency “TASS” reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia is adjusting its protocols for the use of nuclear weapons in light of the increasing Western support for Ukraine.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Sunday that Russia is in the “advanced stages” of revising a key document that outlines the “criteria and conditions” for using its nuclear arsenal.

Under the current 2020 document, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if an enemy uses “such weapons or other weapons of mass destruction” against Russia, or if an enemy launches an attack that “threatens the very existence of the state.”

Ryabkov said the decision would be made after analyzing “recent conflicts” and “Western actions” regarding the war in Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has pushed hard for permission from the United States and its allies to use long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

Russia currently possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world. The country is also one of the top five signatories of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which aims to prohibit the global proliferation and use of nuclear weapons.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western powers not to underestimate the Kremlin’s nuclear capabilities. In a meeting with senior news editors from international news agencies, Putin said the West would be wrong to assume that Russia would not use its nuclear weapons.

Putin added in June: “If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and the integrity of our territory, we reserve the right to use all available means in response.”