The 51-year-old was head of a military unit that trained Shahed drone operatives, which have been used to deadly effect against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Sunday that Moscow's revised nuclear weapons doctrine is needed because NATO infrastructure is approaching Russia's borders ever more closely. Peskov told Russian state television that Western powers are seeking victory over Russia through their arms deliveries to Ukraine.

In Russia, amendments to the nuclear doctrine have been prepared and will be legally formalized in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. He emphasized that the evolving situation in Ukraine necessitated a change in the doctrine.