MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The heads of Russia’s regions have the right to express their own opinion, but even in the most dramatic moments emotions must not prevail, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
He was speaking in response to a remark by Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov to the effect that in the special operation in Ukraine "more drastic measures are needed, including the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons."
"The heads of Russia’s regions have the authority to express their point of view and to make assessments. After all, they are the heads of entire Russian regions, including Ramzan Kadyrov, who, as you know, has done a great deal from the very beginning of the special military operation and made a very big contribution to the campaign. And he continues doing so," Peskov said.
It is a totally different matter, he continued, that "even in the most difficult moments emotions should probably be excluded from any comments."
"We prefer to stick to very balanced and objective assessments," Peskov explained.
In response to the question whether the call for using nuclear weapons might be considered a manifestation of emotions, Peskov said: "We may use nuclear weapons on the basis of what is stated in the relevant doctrine."
"There can be no other considerations here," he stressed.
The Kremlin spokesman reiterated that Chechnya's merits in conducting the special military operation were "very great."
"The whole republic continues to make a very big contribution to the special military operation. Very heroically and effectively," he said.
According to the Russian nuclear doctrine (The Basic Principles of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence of 2020), the use of nuclear weapons by Russia is possible if the enemy uses this or other types of weapons of mass destruction against Russia and its allies, if reliable information is received about the launch of ballistic missiles for attacking Russia and its allies, in case of the enemy’s impact on facilities necessary for retaliatory measures by the nuclear forces, as well as in the event of aggression against Russia with conventional weapons that endanger the very existence of the state.