MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) A decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that sets out the country's nuclear deterrence policy has provided greater clarity that will further strengthen efforts to prevent the use of nuclear weapons, Dr. Nikolai Sokov, a senior fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation, told Sputnik.
"The decree does not introduce many new points; rather, it clarifies and details many aspects of existing policies ... Greater clarity can help normalize these debates, at least in part. Greater clarity also helps strengthen the deterrence effect, so the benefits are multiple and at different levels," Sokov said.
According to the researcher, Russia's nuclear policy has previously been subject to multiple varying interpretations that have often been incorrect, leading to misunderstandings or the creation of new weapons systems.
"[The decree] is a welcome step given that Russian policy on nuclear deterrence has been given many interpretations, some of which are clearly ill-founded and even served as a justification for new weapons systems. The most obvious example is the deployment of low-yield nuclear weapons on US submarine-launched ballistic missiles," Sokov remarked.
Russia's nuclear policy has been influenced by NATO's capability to wage a non-nuclear war, which is considered to be a likely scenario, the researcher remarked while referring to Washington's proposals to deploy B61 bombs in Poland.
As a result, Moscow is continuing to hold a defensive position based on the premise of ensuring nuclear deterrence, Sokov stated.
"The existing doctrine, as clarified and explained by the decree, is defensive in nature: nuclear weapons are intended in response to an attack in the case such an attack overwhelms Russian conventional forces," the researcher remarked.
Earlier in the day, Putin signed a decree that aims to ensure that Russia's nuclear policy remains defensive and promotes deterrence in order to protect the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and to prevent enemies from aggressive actions that target Russia or its allies.
