Use of nuclear weapons after the annexation?

Putin's spokesman appeased - with reference to the "doctrine"

Created: 09/30/2022Updated: 09/30/2022 13:05

How far does Putin go in the Ukraine war?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (at the desk) rejected speculation.

© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa

Russia annexes Ukrainian territories - and threatened in advance.

Will Putin Respond to Nuclear Attacks?

His spokesman speaks out.

MOSCOW - On Friday afternoon (September 30), Russia will officially declare four Ukrainian territories as Russian territory.

Moscow had already warned Ukraine and the West in advance - which fueled speculation about a possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia in the Ukraine war.

But now the Kremlin has dismissed such fears.

"People who talk about a nuclear escalation are acting very irresponsibly," Vladimir Putin's government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday (September 30).

Journalists had asked him about the debate.

Peskov urged correspondents to read Russian military doctrine more closely: "There the correct wording is very important," he said.

The doctrine states that nuclear weapons can be used if an attack with conventional weapons puts "the very existence of Russia" at stake.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

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Use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war?

Threats from Putin and Medvedev

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a TV speech a week ago: "If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will absolutely use all available means to protect Russia and our people.

This is not a bluff.” Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev was even clearer and said openly: “Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons.”

In the afternoon, Putin intends to sign a document on the incorporation of the four regions of Cherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia, which are majority-controlled by Russian troops, into the Russian Federation.

A speech by Putin is also planned, which is awaited with concern and excitement.