Russian President Putin Signs 'Executive Order Approving The Basic Principles Of State Policy Of The Russian Federation On Nuclear Deterrence'

On November 19, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an Executive Order Approving the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence. The order says that among "the main military dangers that, depending on changes in the military-political and strategic situation, may grow into military threats to the Russian Federation (threats of aggression) and for the neutralization of which nuclear deterrence is exercised" are the event in which "a potential adversary possesses and deploys missile defense systems and means, medium- and shorter-range cruise and ballistic missiles," as well as "the creation of new or expansion of existing military coalitions (blocs, alliances), which results in their military infrastructure approaching the borders of the Russian Federation."

(Source: TASS)

The following is an English translation of the document:[i]

"In order to improve the state policy of the Russian Federation in the sphere of nuclear deterrence, the president signed the Executive Order Approving the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence.

"Presidential Executive Order No. 355, dated June 2, 2020, Basic Principles Of State Policy Of The Russian Federation On Nuclear Deterrence, shall be declared to be no longer in force.[ii]

"This Executive Order shall come into effect on the day of its signing.

"The Basic Principles represent a strategic planning document in the area of ensuring national defence and reflect the official views on the essence of nuclear deterrence, identify military risks and threats to be neutralised by means of nuclear deterrence, outline the principles of nuclear deterrence, and specify the conditions under which the Russian Federation may proceed to use nuclear weapons.

"The regulatory framework for these Basic Principles includes the Constitution of the Russian Federation, universally recognised principles and norms of international law, international treaties of the Russian Federation, federal constitutional laws, federal laws and other legal acts and documents that regulate defence and security issues.

"The provisions of these Basic Principles are mandatory for implementation by all federal bodies of state authority and other government bodies and organisations involved in ensuring nuclear deterrence.

"These Basic Principles may be further specified depending on the external and internal factors that influence defence implementation.

"Overall guidance of state policy in the area of nuclear deterrence is carried out by the President of the Russian Federation.[iii]

"Basic Principles Of State Policy Of The Russian Federation On Nuclear Deterrence

"I. General Provisions

"1. These Basic Principles are a document of strategic planning in the sphere of ensuring defense and reflect official views on the essence of nuclear deterrence, [the Basic Principles] define military dangers and threats, for the neutralization of which nuclear deterrence is carried out, principles of nuclear deterrence, as well as conditions for the Russian Federation's transition to the use of nuclear weapons.

"2. Guaranteed deterrence of a potential enemy from aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies is among the highest state priorities. Deterrence of aggression is ensured by the entire military power of the Russian Federation, including nuclear arms.

"3. The State policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence (hereinafter – the state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence) consists of a complex of coordinated, united by a common plot, political, military, military-technical, diplomatic, economic, informational, and other measures, which are executed with the support of the forces and means of nuclear deterrence and aimed at prevention of aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies.

"4. The state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence has a defensive nature aimed at maintaining the potential of nuclear forces at a level sufficient to ensure nuclear deterrence, and guarantees the safety of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, [guarantees] a deterrence of a potential enemy from aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies, and, in the event of a military conflict, [guarantees] an inadmissibility of escalation of hostilities and their termination on terms acceptable to the Russian Federation and (or) its allies.

"5. The Russian Federation perceives nuclear arms as a means of deterrence, the use of which is an extreme and compulsory measure and makes all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat and to prevent exacerbation of inter-State relations, which could provoke military conflicts, including nuclear ones.

"6. The normative and legal basis of these Basic Principles is comprised of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, generally recognized principles and norms of international law, international treaties of the Russian Federation, federal constitutional law, federal law, other normative legal acts,[iv] and documents governing issues of defence and security.

"7. The provisions of these Basic Principles shall be binding on all federal bodies of state power, and other state bodies and organizations engaged in ensuring nuclear deterrence.

"8. These Basic Principles may be revised depending on external and internal factors affecting the ensuring of defence.

"II. The Essence Of Nuclear Deterrence

"9. The Russian Federation will deploy nuclear deterrence against a potential adversary, under which understood individual states and military coalitions (blocs, alliances) that perceive the Russian Federation as a potential adversary and possess nuclear and (or) other types of weapons of mass destruction or significant combat potential of general-purpose forces. Nuclear deterrence is also deployed against states that provide, controlled by them, territory, air, and (or) sea space and resources for the preparation and implementation of aggression against the Russian Federation.

"10. An aggression of any member-state of a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies shall be considered as aggression of this coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole.

"11. An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state shall be considered as a joint attack by them.

"12. Nuclear deterrence is aimed at ensuring the understanding of a potential adversary of the inevitability of retaliation in the case of aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies.

"13. Nuclear deterrence is ensured through the presence of combat-ready forces and means within the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which are capable of inflicting unacceptable damage to a potential adversary in any circumstances via the use of nuclear weapons, and [is ensured] by the readiness and determination of the Russian Federation to use such weapons.

"14. Nuclear deterrence is continuously implemented in peacetime, during periods of immediate threat of aggression, and in wartime, up until the start of the use of nuclear arms.

"15. The following are the main military dangers that, depending on changes in the military-political and strategic situation, may grow into military threats to the Russian Federation (threats of aggression) and for the neutralization of which nuclear deterrence is exercised:

"a) a potential adversary possesses nuclear and (or) other types of weapons of mass destruction that could be used against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies, as well as the means of delivery of such types of weapons;

"b) a potential adversary possesses and deploys missile defense systems and means, medium- and shorter-range cruise and ballistic missiles, high-precision non-nuclear and hypersonic weapons, strike drones of various types,[v] and directed energy weapons that could be used against the Russian Federation;

"c) a potential adversary builds up general-purpose force groupings that include nuclear weapon delivery vehicles and (or) the military infrastructure supporting their use in territories bordering the Russian Federation and its allies and in adjacent sea areas;

"d) a potential adversary develops and deploys missile defense and anti-satellite warfare means, as well as strike systems in space;

"e) the deployment of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems in the territories of non-nuclear states;

"f) the creation of new or expansion of existing military coalitions (blocs, alliances), which results in their military infrastructure approaching the borders of the Russian Federation;

"g) the actions of a potential enemy aimed at isolating part of the territory of the Russian Federation, including blocking of access to vital transportation communications;

"h) the actions of a potential enemy aimed at the damaging (destroying, eliminating) of ecologically hazardous objects of the Russian Federation, which may lead to man-made, ecological or social disasters;

"i) the potential adversary plans and conducts large-scale military exercises near the borders of the Russian Federation;

"j) the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery, technologies and equipment for their manufacture.

"16. The principles of nuclear deterrence are:

"a) the continuity of nuclear deterrence activities;

"b) the adaptability of nuclear deterrence to military dangers and threats;

"c) the uncertainty for a potential adversary of a scale, time, and place of possible use of nuclear deterrence forces and means;

"d) the centralization of state administration of the activities of federal executive bodies and organizations engaged in ensuring nuclear deterrence;

"e) the rationality of the structure and composition of nuclear deterrence forces and means, as well as their maintenance at a level sufficient to accomplish the set tasks;

"f) the allocated part of the nuclear deterrence forces and means shall be maintained in the state of permanent readiness to combat use;

"g) the centralization of control over the use of nuclear arms, including those deployed outside the territory of the Russian Federation.

"17. The nuclear deterrence forces of the Russian Federation include land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear forces.

"III. Conditions For The Transition Of The Russian Federation To The Use Of Nuclear Weapons

"18. The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and/or other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus, as member-countries of the Union State, with the use of conventional weapons, which create a critical threat to their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.

"19. The following are the conditions governing the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation:

"a) the receipt of reliable information on the launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territories of the Russian Federation and (or) its allies;

"b) the enemy use of nuclear or other types of weapons of mass destruction against the territories of the Russian Federation and (or) its allies, against military formations and (or) facilities of the Russian Federation located outside its territory;

"c) the enemy's actions against critically important state or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the incapacitation of which will lead to a disruption of the response actions of nuclear forces;

"d) the aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) the Republic of Belarus as member-countries of the Union State using conventional weapons, which creates a critical threat to their sovereignty and (or) territorial integrity;

"e) the receipt of reliable information about the mass launch (take-off) of aerospace attack means (strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned, hypersonic, and other aircraft) and their crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation.

"20. The decision on the use of nuclear arms shall be passed by the president of the Russian Federation.

"21. The president of the Russian Federation may, if necessary, inform the military-political leadership of other states and (or) international organizations about a readiness of the Russian Federation to use nuclear arms or of the decision passed to use nuclear arms, as well as of the fact of their use.

"IV. Tasks And Functions Of Federal Government Bodies, Other Government Bodies And Organizations Regarding The Implementation Of State Policy In The Field Of Nuclear Deterrence

"22. The president of the Russian Federation General exercises a general leadership [function] of state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence.

"23. The government of the Russian Federation shall take measures to implement economic policy aimed at maintaining and developing means of nuclear deterrence, and also formulates and implements foreign and information policy in the area of nuclear deterrence.

"24. The Security Council of the Russian Federation shall formulate the main directions of military policy in the area of nuclear deterrence and also coordinate the activities of federal executive bodies and organizations participating in the implementation of decisions passed by the president of the Russian Federation regarding ensuring nuclear deterrence.

"25. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, through the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, is engaged in direct planning and implementation of organizational and military measures in the area of nuclear deterrence.

"26. Other federal executive bodies and organizations participate in the implementation of decisions passed by the president of the Russian Federation regarding ensuring nuclear deterrence in accordance with their powers."