Putin has extended the list of scenarios that could lead to Russia using nuclear weapons. Whether he means it is a question critical to the course of the war. If he is serious, the conflict could turn into World War Three.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Sunday that Moscow's revised nuclear weapons doctrine is needed because NATO infrastructure is approaching Russia's borders ever more closely. Peskov told Russian state television that Western powers are seeking victory over Russia through their arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Russia's nuclear doctrine has been amended to facilitate the use of nuclear weapons against the West, claims Alexander Lukashenko.

President Vladimir Putin says any nation’s conventional attack on Russia that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

Russia is preparing to change its nuclear doctrine for the first time since 2020. The Kremlin claims this is meant to be a signal to the West. According to Pavel Podvig from the Institute for the Study of War,

Dmitry Medvedev, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has laid out the country's new deterrence policy against Western "aggression," and warned that provocations by Ukraine and its allies could result in nuclear war.

The Kremlin has clarified that recent changes to Russia’s nuclear weapons policy are meant to warn Western nations. Any involvement in attacks on Russia could bring serious consequences, including the possible use of nuclear weapons.