Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his commitment to pursuing the conflict in Ukraine "to the end" and suggested a possible review of Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine. This declaration followed state visits to North Korea and Vietnam. In his statements, Putin accused Western nations of escalating tensions by enabling the use of NATO arms against Russian targets and of lowering the threshold for nuclear weapon use, though he provided no evidence for these claims.
The comments came just hours before Ukraine conducted one of its largest drone attacks on Russian territory, targeting key infrastructure in the Krasnodar region, including the Ilsky oil refinery and the Yeysk airbase, as well as an oil depot in Volgograd. Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 114 Ukrainian drones during the assault.
In his interview, Putin emphasized that a loss in Ukraine would mean "the end of Russia's statehood" and hinted at a revision of Russia's nuclear doctrine, last updated in 2020. The current policy allows for nuclear responses if Russia or its allies face weapons of mass destruction or the state’s existence is threatened by conventional warfare.
The heightened hostilities and mutual accusations come amidst ongoing drone and missile exchanges, severely impacting energy infrastructure on both sides. Western countries, including the US and Germany, have recently permitted Ukraine to target Russian sites using Western-supplied arms.