Russia has commenced tactical nuclear drills involving Iskander and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles near the Ukraine border, a move interpreted as a stark warning to Western nations against increased support for Ukraine. These exercises mark the first stage of a larger series of maneuvers and occur in the Southern Military District—a region encompassing territories bordering Ukraine and areas Moscow has unilaterally annexed.
The drills were announced by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which refrained from disclosing specific locations but indicated that Belarus, a state where Russia stated last year it would deploy tactical nuclear weapons, is expected to participate. This development follows the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022 and a period during which Russia has amplified the rhetoric regarding its nuclear arsenal’s readiness.
While strategic nuclear forces exercises are not uncommon for Russia, this represents the first public announcement of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons. The Defence Ministry specified that the maneuvers include “practical training in the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.” These weapons are less powerful than strategic nuclear arms, which are designed to destroy entire cities, but still possess immense destructive potential.
The initiation of these drills is seen as a direct response to comments from Western officials discussing the possibility of escalating their involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron had mentioned that deploying troops to Ukraine was not out of the question under certain conditions, and the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron declared that Ukraine had the right to use Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
This series of exercises involves the loading of launch vehicles, navigating to designated launch sites, and the arming of aircraft with Kinzhal missiles, which are hypersonic weapons. Despite footage showing these preparations, it has not been confirmed whether any test firings have occurred.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control official, conveyed to Reuters the importance of these drills, “The exercises are, obviously, a signal in response to discussion of NATO countries’ troops in Ukraine. The most important features are advance announcement and visibility.”
Western militaries are keenly observing the drills, trying to deduce the amount of warning time they might have in a real deployment scenario of such weapons. The Federation of American Scientists estimates Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads, although exact numbers are uncertain.
Tactical nuclear weapons, also known as non-strategic nuclear weapons, are intended for use on the battlefield. Unlike their strategic counterparts, tactical nuclear weapons have not been subject to arms control agreements, and details about them have not been disclosed by Russia.
Putin has previously alluded to Russia’s nuclear capabilities in the context of the Ukraine invasion, emphasizing the nation’s readiness to use all necessary means to defend itself. However, his rhetoric had seemingly toned down after reports suggested Chinese officials had influenced a move away from nuclear threats. Nevertheless, recent statements reiterate that NATO countries risk provoking a nuclear conflict should they opt to deploy troops to Ukraine. Putin, in a recent commemoration of the Soviet Union’s World War II victory, asserted that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is “always at combat readiness.”
Relevant articles:
– Putin starts tactical nuke drills near Ukraine, politico.eu, 05/22/2024
– Russia begins nuclear drills in an apparent warning to West over Ukraine, The Associated Press, 05/22/2024
– Russia starts ‘tactical nuclear drills’ near Ukraine border, Al Jazeera English, 05/22/2024
– Russia begins tactical nuclear weapon drills near Ukraine border, The Guardian, 05/21/2024
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