Russia: Nuclear weapons an option in case of Western aggression

"In November 2024, revisions were introduced to the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence, according to which Russia reserves the right to use nuclear arms in the event of aggression against it or the Republic of Belarus, including with the use of conventional weapons," Shoigu said in an interview to state-run news agency Tass.

According to the official, Russia is "carefully monitoring Europe's military preparations".

"In accordance with Russia’s National Security Strategy, in the event of foreign countries carrying out hostile actions representing a threat to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, our country considers it legitimate to take appropriate symmetric and asymmetric measures necessary to thwart such actions and prevent them from repeating," he reiterated.

Shoigu further said that the nuclear deterrence "is being carried out with regard to countries and military coalitions that consider Russia a potential enemy and possess weapons of mass destruction or conventional armed forces with substantial military capabilities".

Additionally, he stated that such actions also involve countries who provide their territory and resources for preparing and carrying out aggression against Russia.

"The goals of ensuring the integrity of Russia and Belarus’ unified defensive space and joint implementation of events on strategic deterrence were enshrined in the Security Concept of the Union State and the Treaty on security guarantees between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus approved in December 2024, which were developed with direct participation of security councils of both countries," Shoigu remarked.

The senior Russian security official further warned that any deployment of peacekeepers to historical Russian lands would risk a third World War.

Shoigu pointed to plans by the "coalition of the willing" to put boots on the ground in Ukraine under the guise of peacekeepers.

"Sensible politicians in Europe understand that the implementation of this scenario may lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia or even cause WWIII further down the road," he asserted.