The document outlines the circumstances under which Russia considers it possible to use nuclear weapons against a "potential adversary" – defined as "individual states and military coalitions (blocks, alliances) that view the Russian Federation as a potential opponent and possess nuclear and/or other types of weapons of mass destruction or significant combat potential of conventional forces."
Moreover, aggression from any non-nuclear state, if backed by or involving a nuclear power, will be regarded as a joint attack on the Russian Federation, as stated in the document.
According to the doctrine, a nuclear response is permissible upon receiving credible information about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the Russian Federation or its allies, including strategic or tactical aviation aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic, and other flying vehicles breaching state borders. It is also possible in the event of a "threat" to the Russian Federation from conventional weapons, or if there is an attack on Belarus as a participant in the union state, as mentioned in the document.
The text also notes that Moscow considers it as "a means of deterrence, the use of which is an extreme and necessary measure" and "is making every effort to reduce the nuclear threat."
The decree puts the doctrine into effect starting November 19.