Donetsk militia commander says nukes are 'only option' to defeat NATO amid war in Ukraine

The Commander of Russia's Donetsk militia, Alexander Khodakovsky, has said that Russia might have to use nuclear weapons to win the war in Ukraine. “We don't have the resources to defeat the NATO bloc with conventional means. But we have nuclear weapons for that,” Khodakovsky said on state telivision, as per CNN. He further claimed that Moscow is now fighting the entire West and this is the reason why the next escalation of the war can “only be one: nuclear.” 

It is not clear how seriously his statements should be taken. Use of nukes is certainly not an issue on which his views hold sway. Role of nuclear weapons is determined by the nuclear doctrine a nation state has, which is formulated after careful deliberation.

It is not a blade that one threatens with when the war is not going the way one hoped. Russia's president Vladimir Putin recently said that the risk of nukes is rising, whilst adding that Russia has not "gone mad", specifically stating that Russia will not use nuclear weapons first. "Such a threat (nuclear threat) is growing, it would be wrong to hide it. We have not gone mad, we are aware of what nuclear weapons are. We aren't about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, as per a report from BBC. 

Russia's nuclear doctrine 

Russia's nuclear weapons are a key component of its national security strategy. The country has one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals, which it views as a deterrent against potential aggression from other countries. The development of Russia's nuclear weapons began in the aftermath of World War II, when the Soviet Union began to develop its own atomic bombs. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear weapon, known as the RDS-1, marking the start of the country's nuclear program.

In the decades that followed, Russia continued to develop and expand its nuclear arsenal. By the time the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Russia had become one of the world's leading nuclear powers, with a large stockpile of nuclear weapons. Russia's nuclear doctrine is based on the concept of deterrence. This means that the country's nuclear weapons are intended to prevent other countries from attacking Russia or its allies. 

To achieve this deterrent effect, Russia has developed a number of different types of nuclear weapons, including strategic and tactical weapons, as well as various delivery systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines, and aircraft. One key aspect of Russia's nuclear doctrine is its emphasis on the concept of "de-escalation." This means that Russia would only use its nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack on the country or its allies. However, Russia has also stated that it would consider the use of nuclear weapons in other situations, such as if the country's very survival was at stake.