Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered tactical nuclear weapons drills in response to what the defense ministry has described as provocative statements and threats from the West.
Moscow will carry out the drills “in the near future” to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions, the defense ministry said in a statement on Monday, noting that they will be held with missile formations from the Russian Southern Military District and Russian Navy forces.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over Putin’s ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. On May 3, the Kremlin issued an ominous response to remarks made by U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron allowing Ukraine to use British weapons for strikes on Russian soil. Newsweek has contacted NATO for comment by email.
“During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the defense ministry said.
The exercises are aimed at “maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons” and ensuring the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty “in response to provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials against the Russian Federation,” the ministry added.
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