Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin increases nuclear weapon threat as UK expected to sign off missile strikes

After reports merged that Ukraine might use the US-made ATACMS missile in Russia’s Kursk region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military was monitoring the situation very closely.

It comes after US president Joe Biden’s administration allowed Ukraine to use the long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia, acccording to two US officials and a source familiar decision.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a revised nuclear doctrine which lowers the bar for using nuclear weapons.

The revisions were first announced in September, and have been signed by Putin after US president Joe Biden permitted the use of American long-range weapons deep inside Russian territory.

Any massive aerial attack may now provoke a nuclear response, the doctrine declares.

It also states that attack against his country by a nonnuclear power with the “participation or support of a nuclear power” will be seen as their “joint attack on the Russian Federation” – although it doesn’t specify whether this would be met with a nuclear response.

Nuclear weapons could also be used in response to aggression against Russia’s ally, Belarus.

Aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state will be treated as a joint attack, a spokesperson for the Kremlin has said.

It comes as Russia responds furiously to US president Joe Biden’s decision to allow the use of long-range missiles inside Russian territory.

The Kremlin’s aim is to ensure its potential enemies recognise the inevitability of Russian retaliation to any attack on Russia or its allies, the spokesperson added. But the Kremlin’s warnings of its readiness to use nuclear weapons are nothing new, and have been consistent over the past few years.

Russia has always aimed to minimise the nuclear threat, the spokesperson claimed.

He argued the US ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids.

We look closer at the weapons that could mark a turning point in the war.

Read Barney Davis’ full report:

In a major policy shift just weeks before his tenure in office ends, the US president signed off on Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles outside its own borders. This comes after months of refusing Kyiv’s requests, which it said was crucial for its defences against Russia’s invasion. The missiles are first likely to be used inside the Kursk region near Russia’s border, where troops have been massing to try and reclaim territory Kyiv’s forces took in a daring assault in the summer.

It also opens the door for the UK to authorise the use of Britain’s own long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia. But what are they?

Russia has reserved its right to use nuclear weapons in the event of agression against it or Belarus using conventional weapons, a Kremlin spokesperson has said.

Any critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty will be met with a severe response, Russia emphasised.

Russia still treats the use of nuclear weapons a means of deterrence, an extreme measure, the Kremlin added.

Putin’s regime has consistently sabre-rattled with the West over the threat of nuclear weapons.

The UK will “double down” on support for Ukraine, fuelling speculation that British-supplied missiles could be used by Kyiv’s forces to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike sites in Russia after months of pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The UK Government would not be drawn on whether restrictions on the use of Storm Shadow missiles it supplied would also be eased, but Defence Secretary John Healey stressed the UK was working in “close co-operation” with the US.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I’m not going to get into operational details, because the only winner, if we were to do that, is (Vladimir) Putin, and I’m not prepared to do that.”

He told broadcasters at the G20 summit in Brazil: “I’ve been really clear for a long time now we need to double down. We need to make sure Ukraine has what is necessary for as long as necessary, because we cannot allow Putin to win this war.”

Eight people including a child were killed in a Russian drone attack on the northeast Ukrainian region of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

The drone attack on a residential building in Hlukhiv, a small residential town bordering Russia, left 12 people wounded including two children, Sumy’s military administration said on Telegram.

“Every new Russian strike only confirms [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s true intentions. He wants the war to continue, he is not interested in talking about peace,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.

A video shared by Mr Zelensky shows emergency workers sifting through the rubble after two drones partially destroyed the building.

Russian forces have heavily bombarded the region of Sumy in recent months. A missile strike on Sunday killed 11 people and injured 89.

The Ukrainian air force said it show down 51 out of 87 drones launched by Russia overnight on Tuesday.

It lost track of the remaining 30 drones on its radars, and one was still flying in Ukrainian airspace, the force added.