With the message that Russia will achieve the goals in Ukraine that were outlined by the aggression and invasion in February 2022 and the annexation of the regions to Russia on September 30 of the same year “because the truth was on Russia’s side,” Putin caps off a whole month of strong Russian propaganda in which the threat of using (tactical) nuclear weapons is again escalating and dominating. This time, the basis for this rattling of the nuclear saber is the renewed military doctrine for such a military response, which foresees that an attack with conventional weapons will be an occasion for Moscow to respond with a nuclear one. While the world debates whether it is a bluff or a real threat, the propaganda is doing its job while also penetrating Macedonian-language media outlets
Ever since the meeting between American President Joe Biden and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington in the middle of September, when a day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened heavy consequences if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range Western missile systems on Russian territory, news with Russian statements threatening supporters of Ukraine that nuclear weapons might be used did not stop.
And while in the previous wave from a few months ago, the use of tactical nuclear weapons was discussed, this time there is no such distinction from Moscow and it can be understood that a nuclear answer is taken into consideration with strategic ballistic nuclear weapons as well.
At the moment, the Kremlin’s rhetoric is raised to a level of serious threat also coming personally from President Putin, although there are analytical circles in the West and Ukraine which believe it is a matter of verbal escalation in the eve of the Presidential Election in the USA, or that rather, it is once again—bluff. But more on that in the review below.
Medvedev: Russia may use a “nuke” if it loses its patience
Chronically speaking, once again, apparently the synchronized campaign was launched first, and it was dominated by one of the figureheads of Russian contemporary propaganda, Dmitry Medvedev.
Macedonian-language media outlets widely reported his statement on Telegram in sync with the US-UK summit:
Russia does not use nuclear weapons in response to enemy attacks, because it understands the danger and irreversibility of such a conflict. Moscow is showing patience for now, but it may run out, warned the former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Medvedev. However, the pompous Anglo-Saxon idiots do not want to admit one thing: all patience comes to an end, Medvedev emphasized, Macedonian-language media outlets reported, with the dominant headline being Medvedev threatened that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it loses patience.
One of the media outlets analyzed Putin is holding a “nuclear gun to the forehead of the West,” another reported that the US and Britain are afraid of a nuclear agreement between Iran and Russia, while the position of Russian expert Sergei Karganov, who advises Putin to carry out a tactical nuclear attack, was also conveyed.
Karganov: Let’s rocket the Reichstag
The time has come to declare that we have the right to respond to all mass attacks on our territory with a nuclear attack, this also applies to any seizure of our territory—he said in an interview for Kommersant.
Russia’s duty is to activate the nuclear factor in world politics and to convince our opponents that we are ready to use nuclear weapons in the event of any encroachment on our territory and our citizens—added Karaganov, proposing attacks on European capitals with conventional weapons, response to the attacks on the Russian Federation.
If the drone is flying towards the Kremlin again, why not launch a regular missile attack on the Reichstag first? Let it burn—Macedonian-language media outlets report Karganov’s statements.
Sergey Karganov is one of the most radical and oldest advocates of the thesis claiming Russia has an obligation to use force in defense of the Russian minority outside the borders, that Russia is constantly in the role of defending traditional interests and that Russia should strengthen the Eurasian bloc. According to some sources, Karganov is also the author of the idea that Russia is historically an authoritarian state and that this is not imposed by the authorities, but that it is written in the genetic code of Russians.
Eased conditions for the use of a Russian “nuke”
After such propaganda intimidation, the threat in the sharpest and most concrete form was presented personally by Vladimir Putin at the very end of September:
We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia or Belarus as a member of the Union State, including if the adversary, using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat to our sovereignty. All these issues have been agreed upon with the Belarusian side, with the President of Belarus, said Putin during a meeting of the Russian Federation Security Council standing conference on nuclear deterrence.
Macedonian-language media outlets massively reported Putin’s threat, which reached the Macedonian media space through Russian media outlets and Western sources.
Opening the meeting of Russia’s Security Council, in the presence of senior Russian officials, Putin said proposals had been made to change Russia’s nuclear doctrine and said he would like to highlight one of the key proposed changes, according to media reports.
The updated version of the document proposes that aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear-weapon state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear-weapon state, should be considered as a joint attack on the Russian Federation, emphasized Putin. The conditions for Russia’s transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly fixed, the Russian President added.
He stressed that Moscow would consider such a move if it detected the beginning of a mass launch of missiles, planes or drones against it. Russia also reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if the state, or Belarus becomes the target of aggression, including conventional weapons, Putin noted.
Conventional weapons as a “vital threat to sovereignty.” Drones are also mentioned for the first time
Putin stated this during the presentation of the revision of the Russian nuclear doctrine at the meeting of the Russian Security Council on September 25, another media outlet clarifies.
Current Russian nuclear doctrine states Russia can use nuclear weapons in the event of a hostile nuclear or conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.
The revised version of the document says Russia could use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack that poses a “critical threat to our sovereignty,” Putin said.
The broadest version with a clarification of what the changes consist of was offered by the Left-affiliated online media, Antropol. Under the title Russia has changed its nuclear doctrine, here is what that means, even in the subtitle it is pointed out that “Deep strikes from Ukraine on Russian territory, and an attack on Belarus, will now cause a nuclear response from Russia.”
The text then clarifies that, although not mentioned by name, the new strategy includes Ukraine, that is, an attack by a non-nuclear power backed by a nuclear power. The proposed revisions also “clearly state” the conditions under which Russia can continue to use nuclear weapons, such as “receiving credible information about the mass launch of attack weapons from air and space and their crossing of our state border.”
Putin clarified that this means “strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic missiles and other missiles and aircraft.” The mention of drones here is particularly significant, as Ukraine has repeatedly carried out mass drone attack against Russian strategic bases, reports Antropol.
Duda: The world will not forgive Russia
After such a threat, Polish President Andrzej Duda was the first to react. He warned Russia and Putin personally that the world will not forget or forgive Russia if it uses nuclear weapons first, media outlets reported.
If we look at this in a cold-blooded way and without panic, it should be clear: he is repeating what has been enshrined in Russian military doctrine for many years, that Russia reserves the right to use any assets, including, of course, the nuclear assets at its disposal, in case of a threat to Russia, said Duda for Polish private television TVN24.
On the other hand, Vladimir Putin also knows very well, as do his generals, that the first to use nuclear weapons is the one who is damned. They would never absolve themselves of this responsibility if they use nuclear weapons. Not even to the slightest extent. Never. The world would never forgive them, said the Polish president, who was in New York at the session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Andrzej Duda recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping also clearly told him he could not imagine that anyone could reach for nuclear weapons.
The Polish president, however, considered that it is quite possible for Russia to attack Ukrainian nuclear power plants with conventional weapons, as stated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
If Russia were to attack nuclear power plants with missiles, the danger would be great. I hope that does not happen. There is no doubt that in case of serious information, or God forbid such an attack begins, the International Atomic Energy Agency should intervene urgently, said Duda.
The EU also reacted, evaluating the threats as reckless and irresponsible. EU Spokesman Petar Stano said:
Not for the first time, Putin is playing [a] gamble with nuclear arsenal. We of course strongly reject these threats, assessed Stano.
Blinken: Irresponsible rattling of the nuclear saber
Тhe United States joined the condemnation at the end of last week, through Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. As Macedonian-language media outlets report, President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia plans to update its national nuclear doctrine is “irresponsible,” said Blinken.
„It is totally irresponsible“, Blinken has said in an interview for “MSNBC” on Thursday, blaming Putin for “rattling the nuclear saber.”
So I would just say especially to do that now while the world’s gathered in New York, including talking about the need for more disarmament, nonproliferation, I think that’s going to play very badly around the world, said Blinken, who participated in the UN General Assembly held in New York and who believes that Putin’s message is not only irresponsible, but also poorly timed.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, explained that Putin’s proposal to update the nuclear doctrine was intended to serve as a warning to Western states support a growing Ukrainian and NATO threat against Russia or its key ally, Belarus.
A signal that warns these countries of the consequences if they participate in an attack on our country by various means, not necessarily nuclear, Peskov said, adding that he was sure that all reasonable leaders and analysts understood the gravity of Putin’s announcement.
A Macedonian-language media outlet reported Peskov’s statement once again, with his explanation of the new doctrine that was given to RIA Novosti, a Russian agency that uses large state funds:
It is obvious that the way the international situation has developed, the way that tension around our borders has escalated, the way nuclear powers have started to participate in the conflict over Ukraine, the way NATO’s military infrastructure has advanced towards our borders, all this has contributed to make the necessary adjustments to both the nuclear doctrine and the basis of state policy in the area of nuclear deterrence, Peskov said, reports RIA Novosti.
According to him, the development of the global situation requires the redefinition of new conditions, which means that the relevant documents defending the circumstances under which Moscow can use nuclear weapons will soon be updated.
Lukashenko: Belarus will also use a “nuke”
To reinforce the message from the Kremlin sent by Putin with the revised Russian military doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, also spoke.
Lukashenko said Belarus will use nuclear weapons if attacked by NATO, reports the Russian state agency TASS.
An attack on Belarus is World War III, Lukashenko said, adding that the country’s borders are a red line and that any violation will have an immediate response, Macedonian-language media outlets reported.
According to Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his claim with the latest changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine.
Bluff or not, propaganda continues to penetrate
Some media outlets took a broader approach to the topic, citing Western sources about the substance of the messages from Moscow and their seriousness.
Thus, a media outlet published two texts in which sources overlap and are used to analyze. The first states Putin was actually just waiting for the presidential elections in the United States and that he has no serious intention to use nuclear weapons. This is the opinion of a Sky News correspondent from Moscow.
In the second text, an analysis by Reuters is presented, where there are former Russian diplomats who believe the threat is serious, but also the former Ukrainian security adviser, Anton Gerashchenko, who believes the new doctrine is just a bluff.
However, another media outlet in Macedonian language published an entire column by a Russian university professor and expert in which the seriousness of the messages from Moscow is emphasized and the West is recommended to seriously analyze the changed military doctrine.
We will now see the reaction in the West, where unfortunately there are many people in high places who have convinced themselves that Putin is ‘bluffing,’ that Russia is ‘afraid to respond,’ and that it is therefore possible to behave with impunity toward it. The doctrinal correction is thus essentially a signal to the sober minds that remain in the halls of power in Washington: this is the last warning, writes Dmitri Trenin, Russian university professor, member of the Russian International Affairs Council and former senior officer of the Russian Army.
The text, that is, Trenin’s column published in Macedonian-language media space, was taken directly from the online version of the Russian state media outlet “Russia Today,” access to which has been cut off in several countries of the West, including in N. Macedonia as well, due to propaganda activities and fake news in favor of Russia. Trenin himself, on the other hand, was assessed by a Russian opposition political analyst and writer as “an elite Kremlin propagandist targeting the Western expert audience.”