Vladimir Putin signed new nuclear rules today which expand Russias possible reasons for using atomic weapons. The updated policy says that if Russia gets hit by regular missiles (with nuclear-power backing) it might respond with nuclear force
The change comes after US president Joe Bidenʼs team let Ukraine use american long-range missiles; this decision didnt sit well with Moscow. The new rules state that drone attacks aircraft strikes or missile hits could now be seen as nuclear-level threats: making Russiaʼs response options more wide-ranging
The policy has another big change — if a country thats part of some group attacks Russia Moscow will treat it like the whole group did it. These updates happen just as weʼre getting close to US elections (which are coming up in a few months)‚ showing how the timing isnt random
The whole thing brings back memories of the Cuba crisis from the 60s — back then USSR and USA were super-close to using nukes. Now with this Ukraine situation going for about two-and-a-half years its the worst US-Russia relationship since those old cold-war days
- Attacks with regular weapons backed by nuclear states now count as nuclear threats
- Drone and missile strikes included in possible triggers
- Group attacks seen as whole-group responsibility
- Rules updated right before US election season