Russian forces have commenced a significant exercise focusing on the readiness of tactical nuclear weapons, a move that Moscow defends as a necessary response to perceived provocations and threats from Western officials. According to a series of reports, these drills were triggered by statements from Western leaders discussing the potential for a deeper engagement in the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense released footage showing military personnel loading Iskander ballistic missiles onto vehicles and equipping Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and special warheads onto fighter jets. These exercises, they say, aim to maintain the readiness of units and equipment for “the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.” The drills are taking place in the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine, and involve regions Russia has illegally annexed since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022.
The message from the Kremlin is clear: Russia is prepared to deploy these formidable weapons to uphold its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The tactical nuclear weapons at the heart of these exercises, while less powerful than their strategic counterparts designed to level cities, still possess the capacity to cause catastrophic damage, with potential yields much higher than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
These maneuvers come at a time of heightened rhetoric. French President Emmanuel Macron has not discounted the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, while the U.K.’s David Cameron has stated that Kyiv could use British-supplied long-range weapons to strike targets within Russia. In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described such statements as contributing to “a new round of escalation.”
Earlier this year, Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons if Western allies supported Ukraine. The drills assist troops in readiness for potential nuclear weapon deployment, without conducting actual bomb tests. Such tests are banned under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, despite Russia withdrawing its signature from the agreement last year.
Relevant articles:
– Russia begins exercises for battlefield nuclear weapons, pointing to Western ‘threats’ , Yahoo News Canada, 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
– Ukraine war live updates: Russia launches tactical nuclear weapons drills, warning the West against direct involvement in the war, CNBC, 05/22/2024
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