Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the updated Russian nuclear doctrine on Nov. 19 in a clear response to the Biden administration's decision to green-light long-range strikes against Russia and as part of ongoing efforts of Putin to influence Western leaders to refrain from providing additional support to Ukraine.
This is recalled in the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) daily analysis.
Russia's adoption of an amended nuclear doctrine is the latest manifestation of already common Russian nuclear threats and does not represent a significant change in Russia's nuclear posture, doctrine or threat to use nuclear weapons.
The Kremlin has continually tried to use nuclear threats to deter Western military support for Ukraine, and the Kremlin's continued efforts to inject nuclear threats into the information space indicate that the Kremlin is concerned about the battlefield impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russia with weapons provided by the West.
Ukraine has only recently begun to acquire the weapons systems and military capabilities necessary to conduct modern large-scale combat operations, and in the future Ukraine may be able to conduct operationally significant counterstrikes, provided the West strengthens the building of Ukrainian capabilities in a large scale.
Russian forces have recently advanced into the main Ukrainian stronghold in Kursk Oblast and the border area of Donetsk-Zaporozhka Oblast, and Ukrainian forces have recently advanced north of the city of Kharkiv.
On the night of November 18-19, Ukrainian forces carried out the first ATAMS strike on Russian territory, hitting a Russian ammunition depot in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast - days after receiving permission to carry out such strikes.
For 1,000 days, Ukrainian forces have defended against a full-scale Russian invasion and continue to demonstrate incredible resilience against Russian aggression.
Ukraine continues to improve its combat capabilities and prepare for long-term independence.