Russia Expands Possible Use Of Nuclear Arms

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – In a warning to Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new nuclear policy that allows him to use atomic weapons even in response to a non-nuclear attack.

It comes amid the worst military tensions between Russia and the United States since the Cold War was declared over. Under the new doctrine, Putin could order the use of nuclear arms in case of a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.

The document reaffirms the previous doctrine that Russia could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack but also in case of aggression involving “conventional weapons” that “threatens the very existence of the state.”

Commentators said the newly expanded wording reflected Russian concerns about the development of prospective weapons that could give Washington the capability to knock out critical military assets and government facilities without resorting to atomic weapons.

Russia has also expressed frustration over the U.S. decision to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in August 2019, citing violations by Russia that Moscow denies. The 2010 New START accord, which limits the number of deployable long-range nuclear warheads, is now the only remaining arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he wants to strike a nuclear pact with Russia. Moscow urged negotiations before the New START Treaty expires in February 2021.

Russia’s new nuclear policy also comes ahead of a massive military exercise in neighboring Poland, Worthy News learned. Some 6,000 U.S. and Polish soldiers will participate in the “Allied Spirit” from June 5-19, U.S. officials told Worthy News in a statement.

Poland is among several former Soviet satellite states that asked for more protection from the United States and the NATO military alliance against what they view as an increasingly assertive Russia. They refer to previous Russian military actions in Georgia and, more recently, in Ukraine, where it annexed the Crimean Peninsula and supported pro-Russian separatists in the East.

In turn, Moscow has repeatedly expressed its disapproval about NATO expansion and the alliance military drills near Russia’s borders.

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