Vladimir Putin today issued a nuclear alert to the West in the event of a “massive” air strike on Russia. This would include the use of cruise missiles, which Britain has supplied to Ukraine for Kiev, to target locations deep inside Russian territory.
President Putin’s remarks came after his urgent meeting with Moscow’s top security council to discuss Russia’s nuclear deterrence.
Russia’s threat comes at a time when there is growing concern in Moscow about Western powers – particularly Britain and the United States – allowing Ukraine to use cruise missiles against it.
Last week, Britain reportedly approved the use of its ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missile to bomb Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also traveled to Washington DC to meet US President Joe Biden. The two leaders reportedly discussed the use of weapons by Ukraine on Russian soil.
Russian intelligence was aware of such a possibility and said earlier this month that “the West’s escalation of the war in Ukraine has made it necessary for Moscow to revise its nuclear doctrine.”
Speaking about reports that the United States and the United Kingdom may allow Ukraine to fire cruise missiles at Russian soil, President Putin said this month that “if the West gives Ukraine such permission (to bomb Russia), it will be a direct war with Russia.” He added that such a situation would force Moscow to take “appropriate decisions.”
Russia’s nuclear doctrine and treaty with the US
Russia is the world’s largest nuclear power. Together, Russia and the United States control 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Russia’s current nuclear doctrine was laid down by Vladimir Putin four years ago, before the war with Ukraine began. According to the current doctrine, Russia can use nuclear weapons in the event that it is attacked by a nuclear weapon or a conventional attack threatens the existence of the state.
The United States and Russia have a nuclear treaty called the US-Russia New START Treaty, which came into force on February 5, 2011.
Under the treaty, the United States and the Russian Federation had seven years (until February 5, 2018) to meet the treaty’s central limitations on strategic offensive arms and thereafter are obligated to maintain those limits for as long as the treaty remains in force.
According to the US State Department, this treaty enhances US national security by imposing verifiable limits on all intercontinental-range nuclear weapons deployed by Russia. The United States and the Russian Federation have agreed to extend the treaty until February 4, 2026.
The Kremlin said any discussions about a replacement for the US-Russia New START treaty, which expires in 2026, must take into account the European nuclear potential – abbreviated to the arsenals of Britain and France – into account, Reuters reports.
Asked about a possible replacement for the New START treaty, Peskov said: “We have not yet received a response from the Americans on this, but an agreement is definitely needed and negotiations should begin as soon as possible.”
Storm Shadow Missile
Ukraine already has the British-supplied Storm Shadow missile but uses it only to fight Russian forces on its territory.
Until now Ukraine is banned from using advanced Western weapons on targets inside Russian territory, but that is likely to change after Britain reportedly granted approval with US support.
Storm Shadow is a low-observable, long-range air-launched cruise missile. It has been jointly developed by the United Kingdom and France and has a range of about 500 km. It has already been integrated into Ukrainian fighter aircraft, including Russian-made Su-24 bombers – a legacy of the past, when Ukraine was part of the then Soviet Union.
Developed in 1994 and built by Matra and British Aerospace, the Storm Shadow missile is now manufactured by MBDA Systems. ‘Storm Shadow’ is the British name for the weapon, while in France it is called SCALP-EG.
Russian nuclear weapons stockpile
If Ukraine uses cruise missiles to attack Russian territory, Russia’s response could be massive. There is international concern that Moscow could seriously consider using nuclear weapons in such a situation.
Russia has an estimated stockpile of 6,372 nuclear weapons — the largest in the world, according to the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation — a nonpartisan nonprofit organization focused on nuclear weapon disarmament.
Of these, 1,572 are deployed on strategic land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. About 870 more strategic weapons and 1,870 non-strategic weapons are in reserve, while an additional 2,060 weapons are estimated to be awaiting destruction.
