**Putin Revises Nuclear Doctrine Amid Escalation in Ukraine Conflict**

President Vladimir Putin has enacted a significant shift in Russia's nuclear policy, broadening the circumstances under which the nation might deploy its nuclear arsenal. This change comes in the wake of U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use American-supplied longer-range missiles to strike within Russian territory.

On Tuesday, Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine stating that even a conventional attack on Russia, if carried out by a nation backed by a nuclear power, would be perceived as a combined assault. This alteration in policy potentially sets the stage for a nuclear response from Moscow under such conditions.

The decision coincides with reports from Russia's Defense Ministry that Ukraine launched six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at a military facility in Russia's Bryansk region, with air defenses intercepting five and damaging one. Ukraine's military claimed the strike targeted a Russian ammunition depot. Although the doctrine provides for a possible nuclear response, it avoids making an unequivocal commitment, leaving Putin with various options.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the Ukrainian strike as an escalation and urged Western allies to scrutinize the revised nuclear doctrine. He stressed that the use of long-range missiles from Ukrainian soil against Russian territory signifies a new phase in the ongoing conflict and called for a corresponding response.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirmed that a Ukrainian attack using longer-range U.S. missiles could indeed trigger a nuclear response, citing the doctrine's provision regarding threats to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He clarified that the updated doctrine, although timely, was commissioned earlier in the year to reflect the current geopolitical climate.

Previously in September, Putin had discussed potential updates to the nuclear doctrine, warning NATO allies that enabling Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons against Russian territory could be construed as direct involvement in the conflict. The doctrine, besides detailing broader conditions for nuclear weapons use, highlights aggression by a member of a military bloc like NATO as an attack by the entire bloc.

Western leaders have condemned Russia's revised policy. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller labeled Russia's nuclear rhetoric as intimidation, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated their unabating support for Ukraine.

The document's amendments significantly widen the conditions under which nuclear weapons might be used, reflecting a tougher stance and potentially signaling a response to what Russian hawks perceive as insufficient deterrence in the previous version of the doctrine. This development underscores the heightened tensions and the complex dynamics at play as the conflict in Ukraine continues.