Russian forces have started the first stage of exercises that involve “practical training in the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills earlier this month. Moscow has linked them to what it calls “militant statements” by Western officials which it said created security threats for Russia
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has cited comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who floated the possibility of sending European troops to fight Russia in Ukraine, and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who said Ukraine had the right to use weapons provided by London to strike targets inside Russia.
Security analysts say the exercise is designed as a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from wading more deeply into the war in Ukraine, where it has provided weapons and intelligence to Kyiv but refrained from sending troops.
The Defense Ministry said the first stage of the exercise involved Iskander and Kinzhal missiles.
It is aimed at ensuring that units and equipment are ready for “the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons to respond and unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state in response to provocative statements and threats of individual Western officials against the Russian Federation,” the ministry said