Intel chief: Amendment to nuclear doctrine makes military defeat of Russia impossible

Sergei Naryshkin, Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), has stated that Western nations recognise the recent update to Russia's nuclear doctrine as rendering US and NATO efforts to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia pointless, effectively eliminating the possibility of the country being militarily defeated.

In an interview with the Russian magazine, Naryshkin explained that President Vladimir Putin's announcement regarding amendments to the "Foundations of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence" was met with concern in the West, Caliber.Az reports.

He added that the adjustments made by Putin significantly undermine the efforts of the United States and NATO to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, and the planned expansion of circumstances under which nuclear weapons could be used essentially removes any prospect of defeating the Russian Armed Forces on the battlefield.

Naryshkin’s comments reflect growing tensions between Russia and the West, as military strategists in both camps adjust to the evolving global security landscape.

In recent development, Vladimir Putin has signed a decree formalising Russia's updated nuclear deterrence strategy, marking a significant shift in the nation's nuclear policy. Published on the official legal portal, the new doctrine broadens the range of states and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, while also expanding the criteria for what constitutes an attack, offering Russia greater justification for a potential nuclear response.

The changes, proposed by Putin in late September, are designed to widen the circumstances under which Moscow might resort to nuclear weapons. They include the classification of any conventional attack on Russia, aided by a nuclear power, as a joint assault on the country. The doctrine also outlines specific military threats, such as the launch of strategic aircraft, missiles, drones, or hypersonic vehicles, that could trigger a nuclear strike.

This revision of Russia’s nuclear strategy comes amid heightened tensions with the West, particularly over the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led to the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

In related comments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov affirmed Russia's openness to normalising relations with the United States, though he stressed that it could not do so unilaterally, criticising the US for initiating the current sanctions race.

By Aghakazim Guliyev