ISTANBUL 

The head of Russia’s State Atomiс Energy Corporation (Rosatom) on Thursday urged the bolstering of the country’s nuclear shield amid “colossal threats.”

“Now, in the current moment of geopolitics, there are colossal threats to the existence of our country,” said Alexey Likhachev, according to the Russian state news agency, RIA.

Likhachev argued that Russia’s nuclear shield is a guarantee of the country's sovereignty. “Today we understand that the nuclear shield must only improve in the coming years," he said.

Russia has taken steps in recent years on nuclear deterrence, particularly amid the Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.

Last November, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving an updated nuclear doctrine for Moscow, which notably said that “aggression” against Russia and its allies by a non-nuclear country with the support of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack on itself.

Russia may, according to the updated doctrine, also use nuclear weapons in light of critical threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as that of neighboring Belarus, both of which have been formally part of a union state since 1999.

Putin initially announced plans for the changes in a Sept. 25, 2024, address, when he emphasized the urgency of revising the document.​​​​​​​