Former Russian Federation President and now Russian Security Council deputy head Medvedev has announced that a Ukrainian counter offensive to seize Crimea would be met with a nuclear strike. This comes as a Ukrainian counter offensive is expected during this Spring, but the location and time is still unknown.
“If we talk about some serious offensives that are associated with an attempt to retake Crimea, it is absolutely clear that this is the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the Fundamentals of the Doctrine of Nuclear Deterrence, when the use of any types of weapons against Russia threatens the existence of the state itself.”
This announcement clarifies some ambiguity around the Russian threshold for the use of nuclear weapons with regards to Crimea.
