Can you hear me? The invisible battles of Ukrainian military medics

Watch documentary now
Skip to content
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko looks on during a visit of Valaam Monastery with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, in northern Russia on July 25, 2024. (Photo by Alexander Kazakov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, in a comment to a Russian reporter, said that recent changes to Russia's nuclear weapons policy were long overdue and would likely "cool the ardor" of Western nations.

In a video published on Oct. 13, Lukashenko noted that "hotheads" in the West had already noticed nuclear signals from Moscow even before President Vladimir Putin announced the policy changes last month.

On Sept. 25, Putin expanded the scenarios that could trigger a Russian nuclear response, including reliable intelligence of a large-scale cross-border attack involving aircraft, missiles, or drones. He also emphasized that any attack on Russia backed by a nuclear power would be treated as a joint assault.

The Kremlin’s move was a direct response to discussions in the U.S. and U.K. about allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied long-range conventional missiles.

"This doctrine should have been renewed long ago," Lukashenko remarked. Last year, he agreed with Putin to station Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. He warned that without Putin’s earlier nuclear signals, "Western missiles would already be bombing us, especially Russia."

Ukraine has condemned Russia's nuclear posture as blackmail, with President Volodymyr Zelensky urging Western leaders to ignore Putin's "red lines." Moscow insists that its warnings are genuine. Putin warned that if the U.S. and its allies approve Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles, they will be directly engaging in the war against Russia.

Opinion: Is Russia’s new nuclear doctrine a game of bluff or a shift in strategy?
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a seemingly significant modification of Russia’s military doctrine in a statement on Sept. 25. He revealed that the new doctrine would propose considering aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state, “with the participation or support of a nuclear stat…

News Feed

9:41 AM

US lawmakers ask for intelligence report on impact of cutting Ukraine aid.

Lawmakers from both chambers of the U.S. legislature requested the director of national intelligence, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to compile a report on different policy impacts on Ukraine and U.S. security, according to The Hill.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.