Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to update the country’s nuclear doctrine has sparked renewed interest in preparations for nuclear war across Europe.
On Tuesday Vladimir Putin officially expanded the doctrine last published in 2020 that says Moscow regards its weapons as a means of deterring enemies and sets out conditions for their use.
Putin’s changes state that any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state that is carried out with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack.
This is critical because Putin has said Western countries would be engaged in conflict directly with Russia if they allowed Ukraine to fire deep inside Russian territory with weapons supplied to Kyiv.
The timing of the announcement is significant as it follows a decision by US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to fire American long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. The UK’s Storm Shadow missiles have also been reportedly fired into Russia for the first time.
So far, the West has treated these changes as sabre-rattling by Putin and downplayed the threat. But despite the official position, preparations for nuclear disasters have been ramped up.
Here’s how some countries in Europe are preparing for a nuclear threat.
The UK
The UK Government quietly updated its guidance on “What to do in a radiation emergency” after Putin hinted at nuclear doctrine change in September.
Russian officials first raised the prospect of changes to the nuclear doctrine on 1 September. The UK Government updated its guidance on “What to do in a radiation emergency“, and a separate advice that outlined how individuals could remove radioactive material from your skin and clothes on 10 September, the official government website shows.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told i this was a routine update, adding that there are a “range of scenarios” where a radiation emergency may result. These include radiation emergencies may result from misuse of radioactive sources during industrial, medical or research applications, and also natural disasters, military conflicts, or malicious acts involving radiation sources.
The guidelines state that in the event of a radiation emergency, people may be exposed to breathing in radioactive materials, while it recommended that people should stay indoors, close windows, and take iodine tablets if advised.
“If there is a release of radiation, sheltering in a building made of robust and dense materials, such as those used for permanent buildings, will provide adequate protection from most radiation exposure,” the guidance says.
“It may be necessary to temporarily move people out of an affected area to carry out certain recovery actions. To protect water treatment plants, it may be necessary to stop the extraction of water from rivers, lakes or wells in the affected area.”
Meanwhile at the G20 in Brazil this week, Sir Keir Starmer warned the UK will not bow to Russia’s threats of nuclear war over Ukraine.
“This is irresponsible rhetoric coming from Russia and that is not going to deter our support for Ukraine,” he said. “We have stood with Ukraine from the start. I’ve been doubling down in my clear message that we need to ensure Ukraine has what is needed for as long as needed to win this war against Putin.”
According to previous government guidance on the UK’s nuclear deterrent, “Russia is significantly increasing the variety of nuclear capable weapons that it possesses.
“This is in contrast to the work that the Nato nuclear weapons states have undergone to reduce and maintain relatively modest arsenals since the Cold War ended.”
The UK possess the smallest stockpile of nuclear warheads of the five nuclear weapon states and is the only one to have reduced to a single delivery system.
The deterrence guidance adds: “The risk of nuclear conflict remains remote, but the threats the UK faces are increasing in scale, diversity and complexity.”
Sweden
Sweden issued advice to its citizens on 8 November, including a nuclear war survival guide titled “If Crisis or War Comes.”
The pamphlet, issued just five times since the Second World War, warned its residents to “shelter” amid fears of nuclear war breaking out.
Swedish Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin emphasised the guide’s importance, stating that it provides clear instructions for millions of Swedes on how to stay safe during a potential nuclear attack.
“If Sweden is attacked, we will never surrender,” the pamphlet says. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false.”
Next month, the Swedish parliament is due to vote on a defence bill that would boost military and civil defence spending over the next five years. It comes after the country recently joined Nato following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Norway
Norway also released emergency pamphlets advising people to manage for a week in case of an emergency, including an all-out war.
“The war in Ukraine affects Ukraine, but it also affects our safety and security,” Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s foreign minister, said on Tuesday.
The leaflet is part of a massive information campaign by the government of Norway in early November, updating its advice first published in 2018.
Inside, it included a checklist for keeping an emergency supply, which included bottled water, food, candles, a DAB radio and hard cash, outlining how its citizens should be prepared for included another pandemic, a mass cyber attack or, in an extreme case, war or a nuclear attack on Continental Europe.
Denmark
Denmark has already sent emails to its citizens to stock up on dry rations, water and medicines so that they could manage for three days of emergency, including a nuclear attack.
It coincides with Denmark ramping up its support for Ukraine, pledging an additional 1 billion kroner (£71m) to the Ukrainian arms industry.
The Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, made the pledge during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where she is visiting to commemorate 1,000 days since Russia and Ukraine’s military conflict began in February 2022.
“We can only have peace in Europe if we can defend ourselves,” she said. “The situation in Ukraine is much more dangerous than meets the eye. Russia will not, I think, stop at Ukraine,” she claimed.
“There is a lot that the rest of Europe can learn from you, and it is important for me that our own industry, not only in Denmark but in all neighboring countries, can come to Ukraine and learn from your experience and your ability to expand and develop your production lines,” she added.
Lithuania
In Lithuania, air raid sirens rang out while emergency alerts were sent to people’s phones this week. The preparatory measures recommend people to have a departure bag ready in case they have to evacuate quickly.
If you hear gunfire, “immediately fall to the ground and cover your head with your hands”, guidance reads.
Lithuania and Russia have been at odds since the invasion of Ukraine, but tensions escalated further after Russian parliamentarian Yevgeny Alexeyevich Fyodorov submitted a bill to the Duma to repeal the recognition of Lithuania’s independence by the Russian state, in June.
This prompted a firm reaction, with closed entry for the Russian citizens with Schengen visas. In August 2023, following a survey, Lithuania announced that 254 Russian and 910 Belarusian citizens living in Lithuania posed a threat to national security and that their residence permits will be revoked.
Russia
As Russia announced changes to its nuclear doctrine, Moscow reportedly ramped up production of mobile nuclear shelters.
The £300,000 mobile shelter and can be transported by road or rail, according to The Moscow Times. It can fit 54 people but its capacity can be increased by 150 people by adding additional blocks if necessary.
The emergency ministry’s research institute said the “KUB-M” shelter could offer protection for 48 hours against shockwaves and radiation from a nuclear blast.
Russia regularly performs tactical nuclear weapons drills involving troops from its northern district which borders Nato members Norway, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
In May, Russian security chief Dmitry Medvedev said Russia was not bluffing about using tactical nuclear weapons, after the US and Germany confirmed Ukraine can use arms they supplied to strike inside Russian territory in limited cases.
In March 2024, when Mr Putin was asked in an interview whether Russia was ready for nuclear war, he responded: “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready.”