ASTANA, November 28. /TASS/. Russia's updated nuclear doctrine is unambiguous and transparent, and Western countries should read it carefully and not misinterpret it, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
"In general, the doctrine is uncomplicated, clear, and transparent. We have explicitly outlined everything, I believe. Therefore, we urge our colleagues, especially those in the West, to read it carefully, without taking pieces out of context or misrepresenting them. Everything is clearly and precisely presented," he said following a joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
On November 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the country’s updated nuclear doctrine. The primary principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to safeguard the country’s sovereignty. Specifically, the document broadens the range of countries and alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the list of military threats that such deterrence is intended to counter. Aggression by any non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power will be regarded as a joint attack on Russia.
On November 21, Putin stated that the United States and its NATO allies had given their approval for the use of long-range precision-guided weapons. Following this announcement, Russian military sites in the Kursk and Bryansk Regions were struck by American and British missiles. In retaliation, Russia used its newest Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile a non-nuclear strike targeting Ukraine’s Yuzhmash military enterprise in Dnepr (formerly known as Dnepropetrovsk).