One of President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent strategic advisers has called for a radical overhaul of Russia’s nuclear doctrine that would make the use of atomic weapons mandatory, rather than optional, if Moscow came under attack from a militarily superior Western coalition.
The proposal, put forward by influential Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov, marks one of the strongest public calls yet for lowering the threshold for Russia’s nuclear response amid the continuing war in Ukraine.
Karaganov argued that such a policy would deter NATO nations from providing military assistance to Kyiv by making the consequences of direct conflict with Russia unmistakably clear.
Speaking in Moscow, Karaganov said Russia should amend its military doctrine so that the Kremlin would be required to launch nuclear weapons if confronted by countries with greater demographic, economic or technological strength.
“One of the forthcoming changes must be that Russia is obliged – and undertakes to – use nuclear weapons should a war be waged against it by countries that surpass it in demographic, economic and scientific-technical potential,” he said.
“In other words, this is not an option, but an obligation,” adding: this will stop “any wars.”
“We are currently deploying a new generation of strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles, each with a warhead yield of 750 kilotons – that is, 7.5 megatons in total.
“A single missile of this type would be enough to reduce an average European country to dust.
“So that it would never even cross anyone’s mind to attack Russian territory in any way….
“I imagine they are not only super-intercontinental but can also strike much closer targets.
“We have a sufficient number of them.
“We simply need to make it clear to [the West] that any war games against Russia – or any war games at all – will lead to their destruction.”
Professor Domsday continued: “If nuclear weapons were to spread across Europe, Russia would be obliged to undertake to destroy those countries in which such weapons appear, and especially those countries that have ever attacked Russia.”
Karaganov claimed such a doctrine would prevent future wars by convincing Western governments that any direct military confrontation with Russia would inevitably trigger a nuclear response.
The Russian strategist specifically mentioned Germany and Finland, arguing that countries hosting nuclear weapons or significantly strengthening NATO’s military posture should expect devastating retaliation in the event of conflict.
He claimed Russia’s latest generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles could destroy an average European country with a single launch, describing the weapons as sufficient to “reduce an average European country to dust.
The remarks reflect an increasingly confrontational tone from some figures within Russia’s strategic establishment as relations between Moscow and NATO remain at their lowest point since the Cold War.
Karaganov also criticised Finland following legislative changes allowing allied nuclear weapons to be stationed on Finnish territory if required.
The move followed Finland’s accession to NATO in 2023 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Finnish officials have repeatedly stressed that there are no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in peacetime, saying the legal changes simply align Finnish legislation with NATO requirements and preserve alliance flexibility during a crisis.
Karaganov nevertheless described the policy as “tantamount to suicide”, claiming countries hosting nuclear weapons would become the first targets in any conflict.
Karaganov has for several years advocated a more aggressive Russian nuclear posture and has previously argued that Moscow should be prepared to threaten limited nuclear strikes to compel Western governments to reduce support for Ukraine.
His comments do not represent an announced change in Russian government policy. While his views are closely watched because of his influence in Russian strategic circles, any amendment to Russia’s official nuclear doctrine would require approval by the Kremlin.
The latest remarks illustrate how nuclear signalling continues to feature prominently in Moscow’s strategic messaging as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, with Russia seeking to deter deeper Western involvement while NATO insists it is not a direct participant in the conflict.
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