Russia is being urged to clearly state its willingness to use nuclear weapons against countries that support Ukraine, with a former Kremlin advisor claiming it can launch a strike on a NATO country without sparking Armageddon.
Sergei Karaganov, the head of the Russian Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, made the bold comment to Kommersant newspaper while pressing President Vladimir Putin to adopt a more assertive nuclear posture towards the West.
Karaganov, suggested in Wednesday’s interview that Moscow should consider a limited nuclear strike on a NATO country to signal its readiness to escalate if necessary, without provoking a full-scale conflict.
He said the primary goal of Russia’s nuclear doctrine ‘should be to ensure that all current and future enemies are sure that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons’.
The foreign policy adviser argued that the current Russian nuclear doctrine, adopted in 2020, which only allows for nuclear retaliation in the case of a nuclear attack or an existential threat, is inadequate.
Russia is being encouraged to show its willingness to use nuclear weapons in response to any major attack or occupation of its territory, as a means of deterrence. Pictured: Russia’s deadly hypersonic 208-ton 15,880 ‘Satan-2’ intercontinental ballistic missile
The current Russian nuclear doctrine, adopted in 2020, only allows for nuclear retaliation in the case of a nuclear attack or an existential threat. Pictured: A Russian BTR-82A armoured personnel carrier and Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems
Vladimir Putin has previously expressed hope that a nuclear exchange with the West would never occur
The doctrine clearly stipulates that pre-emptive nuclear strikes are prohibited, but Karaganov underlined that this approach effectively stripped Russia’s military and foreign policy from nuclear deterrence.
He criticised the approach as ‘irresponsible and even suicidal’, claiming it fails to deter adversaries and could lead to Russia’s ‘decline and possibly even collapse if not revised.
According to Karaganov, Russia needs to assert its right to use weapons in response to any major attack or occupation of its territory, as a means of deterrence.
‘We have allowed the situation to deteriorate to a point where our adversaries believe we will not use nuclear weapons under any circumstances,’ Karaganov said.
He insisted that Russia should declare any large-scale attack on its territory as justification for a nuclear response, stressing the need for Moscow to include clear ‘nuclear escalation’ steps in the next doctrine.
This, he believes, would eliminate any doubts about Russia’s readiness to use its nuclear arsenal.
‘It’s high time we stated that any massive strikes against our territory give us a right to respond with a nuclear strike,’ he said.
‘It is time to declare that we have the right to respond to any massive strikes on our territory with a nuclear strike. This also applies to any seizure of our territory,’ he added.
In the interview, Kommersant journalist Elena Chernenko asked Karaganov how he could be sure that the policy he was advocating would not lead to all-out nuclear war.
‘The assertion that any limited use of nuclear weapons will necessarily lead to a general nuclear Armageddon does not stand up to criticism,’ he said.
‘I assure you that all nuclear powers have plans for the calibrated use of nuclear weapons under certain scenarios.’
Karaganov added, ‘I am not calling for a dangerous path, I am calling for saving the world and Russia. Either we win this war, or we fall apart.
‘The West can fight endlessly, this war is very beneficial to it. And I am not calling for a nuclear war at all, I would very much like not to bring things to this, but to stop before having to make a terrible choice.’
The remarks come just weeks after Ukraine captured a section of Russia’s Kursk region, which Moscow is still trying to reclaim, and as Kiev seeks permission from Western allies to deploy long-range missiles for strikes deep within Russian territory.
Karaganov also warned that the failure to strengthen Russia’s nuclear deterrence could lead to a series of wars that may escalate into World War III within a few years.
Such a catastrophic failure ‘would plunge the world into a series of wars that would inevitably turn nuclear and end up with the World War III,’ he said.
Karaganov’s views, though not official policy, are closely monitored by Western security experts as they reflect the more aggressive elements within Russia’s strategic discussions.
But despite his recommendations, Putin has maintained a more cautious approach.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, Putin emphasised that Russia is ‘not brandishing’ its nuclear weapons and expressed hope that a nuclear exchange with the West would never occur.
Some analysts in the West say Karaganov performs a useful function for the Kremlin by voicing views that stir alarm in the West while making Putin appear calm and moderate by comparison.
