MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. The experience gained during the special military operation has proven that Russia’s nuclear doctrine is too vague, and that it should be cleared up so that the West understands the consequences of its actions, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Channel One.

"The experience gained during the special military operation has also shown that the overly general wording which is enshrined in our core doctrinal nuclear documents is insufficient," the senior diplomat said.

"The fact that the West, and first and foremost NATO countries, ignore our potential in this area and that this group has some gut feeling that things won’t end in the worst-case scenario, no matter how they mock common sense, makes it necessary to say more clearly, more distinctly and more precisely what may happen provided that they persist in this," Ryabkov said.

According to the senior Russian diplomat, this lax approach to nuclear deterrence is "very typical of NATO."

"The political deafness of those who shape the policy of Washington, Brussels, and other Western capitals in this area is unbelievable, and curative measures in the form of some verbal signals are increasingly less effective," Ryabkov said.

The diplomat recalled that the military doctrine prescribes two scenarios when the use of nuclear weapons is authorized.

"There is a document which might be conditionally described as a bylaw, and it is the foundation of the national nuclear deterrence policy," Ryabkov continued. "It specifies certain terms when resorting to nuclear weapons is permissible."

Playing with fire

The Russian deputy foreign minister mentioned that Moscow’s red lines are not being taken seriously.

"Firstly, things happen. For a long time, no exercises to practice the use of tactical nuclear weapons have been held and there have been no events that showcase a different degree of [combat] alert by our strategic forces," he said. "The West picks up on these signals, no matter how self-absorbed it is."

"We do not have to make them public, but we do say in public that the warnings are getting tougher and tougher. They are literally playing with fire," Ryabkov concluded.