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Writer's pictureNilsu Aydınay

Ukraine’s Use of U.S. Missiles Prompts Putin to Sign New Nuclear Doctrine


On November 17, American Washington Post (WP) proclaimed that the Biden government had granted permission to Ukraine to use American long-range missiles on Russian territory to a limited extent. It was also stated that this move was in response to the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine. Ukraine had been demanding this for a long time but the U.S. administration approved it only recently. This move is considered as an important decision of the Biden administration before Biden leaves the white house to the new president Donald Trump. During his presidential campaign, Trump had signaled that he might reduce U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine.


In addition to Biden’s new move, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reported that the U.S. had also permitted Ukraine to use U.S.-made antipersonnel landmines to help slow Russia's advance on the battlefield. Numerous human rights organizations have criticized this, stating that the mines could pose a serious threat to civilians.


Only a day after the missile permission was granted, Ukraine struck a target inside Russian territory using U.S.-supplied long-range missiles. The U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, used for the first time since the start of the war, hit a Russian arsenal in the Bryansk region, about 115 kilometers from the border. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that five of the missiles were shot down and another was damaged. Falling fragments caused a fire at the military facility, but no casualties were reported.


Following the developments, on Tuesday, which marked the 1,000th day of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved updates to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Under the new doctrine, Russia has the right to retaliate with nuclear weapons if an attack from a non-nuclear state is supported by a nuclear power. Such an attack will be treated as a joint assault on Russia, meaning all members of the aggressor’s alliance will also be considered parties to the aggression.


The previous doctrine allowed Russia to use nuclear weapons only in response to a nuclear attack or a conventional attack threatening the state’s existence.


On Thursday morning, Russian forces carried out a strike on a military-industrial complex in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro using “a new conventional intermediate-range missile.” Putin stated that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to Ukraine’s use of American and British long-range weaponry to strike Russian targets. He added that a “test” was successfully conducted with a non-nuclear hypersonic version of the ballistic missile, which he claimed can reach speeds of 10 Mach, or 2.5–3 km/s, making it impossible to counteract.


The Pentagon's deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh stated the U.S. had been notified "briefly" before the missile's launch via Nuclear Risk Reduction channels, which share information on matters such as missile launch notifications.


Following the publication of Russia's doctrine, stocks and the euro fell as investors bought safe-haven assets while government bonds and the Japanese yen rallied.  Additionally, for the first time since October 2023, the Russian ruble dropped below 100 U.S. dollars.


According to some Russian and Western officials, the war could be entering its final and most dangerous phase as Moscow's forces advance at their fastest pace since the start of the conflict while the West continues to deliberate how the war might end.



Edited by: Derya Yener

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