Renowned Russian Political Scientist Karaganov: 'Any Attack On Our Territory Must Get A Nuclear Response'

On September 2, 2024, in an interview with the Russian media outlet Mk.ru, renowned Russian political scientist and a former Putin advisor Sergei Karaganov called for an altering of Russia's nuclear doctrine and stepping up the "escalation ladder." "It is high time to stop doing this and amend the nuclear doctrine to make it clear that any attack on our territory must get a nuclear response," Karaganov stated.

He then added: "Either we condemn ourselves to a long and bloody war, or we will have to allow the massive use of nuclear weapons as a gesture of despair."

(Source: X)

Following is the interview with Karaganov:[1]

"Russia's Readiness To Alter Its Nuclear Doctrine"

"Moscow is ready to turn the geopolitical tables. This time, it will use the nuclear argument. Fortunately for our opponents, only on paper so far. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has spoken of Russia's readiness to alter its nuclear doctrine. Vladimir Putin hinted at this in June by saying that the nuclear deterrence documents were a 'living instrument.' It seems that the other side is utterly unable to take hints. We can only hope that they are still able to read.

"For some reason, Moscow has frozen on one of the steps of this ladder and stubbornly does not want to go further, says international relations expert Sergei Karaganov. He believes that Russia needs to go up.

"'The current nuclear doctrine has long been outdated. It is a product of our state of mind of the 1980s. Not even being completely aware of this, by adopting it we cleared the way for NATO's expansion and now for its direct aggression against us. By failing to amend our nuclear doctrine and carry out appropriate military technical actions, we have exacerbated our strategic position dramatically, which could lead to our failure or necessity for massive use.

"'Tactically, our military is winning on the battlefield, but we have opened the way to a grueling, long and protracted war to be won by the one who is stronger economically,' Karaganov emphasized."

"We Will Have To Allow The Massive Use Of Nuclear Weapons"

"'Concrete proposals for amending the nuclear doctrine and plans for conducting – if it ever comes to that – a war with limited use of nuclear weapons exist, and they sit in certain offices. But they do not leave those offices.

"'Our indecision is becoming dangerous and bordering on recklessness, to say the least. It is dangerous for us and for the whole world. Not only have we opened the way for the aggressor, but we are also clearing it for more aggressions around the world. It is high time to stop doing this and amend the nuclear doctrine to make it clear that any attack on our territory must get a nuclear response,' the expert [Karaganov] said.

"'The President always makes the final decision on the specific form of such a response,' Karaganov said. 'However, the main point in the nuclear doctrine and deterrence theory is to make the adversary aware that he can and will get a nuclear strike in the event of aggression. The discussion about amending our nuclear doctrine, which began a little over a year ago, has temporarily cooled the Americans who started to act more cautiously, but recently everyone has been getting pretty brazen again. If Moscow does not alter the wording in the doctrine and does not go up the escalation ladder, we are in for trouble.'

"Sergei Karaganov foresees two scenarios: 'either we condemn ourselves to a long and bloody war, or we will have to allow the massive use of nuclear weapons as a gesture of despair.'"