Putin updates nuclear doctrine to include threats from non-nuclear states backed by nuclear powers

Russian President Vladimir Putin has updated the country's nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for a nuclear response to a wider range of conventional attacks. The new policy states that any attack on Russia by a non-nuclear state, supported by a nuclear power, will be viewed as a joint attack. This change follows reports that Ukraine used US-made ATACMS missiles to strike deep inside Russia. Previously, Russia's nuclear doctrine allowed for a nuclear response only in the event of a nuclear attack or a conventional attack threatening the state's existence. The updated doctrine now allows for a nuclear strike if a conventional attack poses a critical threat to Russia or its ally Belarus. Russia's defense ministry reported a missile strike in its Bryansk region, claiming that five out of six missiles were intercepted.