Russian Nuclear Doctrine Change Does Not Indicate Imminent Attack, Pentagon Says

The United States sees “no indications” that Russia is prepping for a nuclear attack, the Pentagon said Tuesday, despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a change in nuclear posture. And while the doctrine change is alarming, experts say, it doesn’t mean the world is on the brink of nuclear war.

...

Jeffrey Edmonds, an adjunct senior fellow at CNAS’s transatlantic security program, told Defense One he thinks there is “still significant space between where we are at and nuclear use,” and noted the Russians have multiple avenues to threaten the West for its continued support of Ukraine.

“What this actually means for escalation is that we should not be surprised to see horizontal escalation—geographic e.g. arming Houthis, or vertical e.g. cables, [anti-satellite tests]...

Put another way, we should be surprised Putin has not started killing Americans in response to the combat enablers we have provided Ukraine, allowing it to kill thousands of Russian soldiers.”

Read the full article and more on Defense One.