Russia has initiated the first phase of tactical nuclear weapons drills, involving Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, in areas bordering Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that these drills are occurring in its Southern Military District, which borders parts of Ukraine that Moscow has occupied and illegally annexed since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The ministry did not specify the exact locations of the exercises.
Belarus, where Russia announced last year it was deploying tactical nuclear weapons, is also expected to participate.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has frequently emphasized its nuclear arsenal and its readiness to use it in response to security threats.
Nuclear analysts believe these exercises are intended as a warning from President Vladimir Putin to deter Ukraine’s Western allies, who have been supplying weapons and intelligence to Kyiv, from increasing their involvement in the war.
The drills aim to ensure that units and equipment are prepared 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 from Western officials,” according to the ministry.
Putin ordered the drills following suggestions from Western politicians that they might intensify their support for Ukraine. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned he had not ruled out deploying troops to Ukraine under certain conditions, and the UK’s foreign minister, David Cameron, asserted Kyiv’s right to fire Western missiles at Russian territory.
Russia’s Southern Military District, headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, 60 km (40 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is the command center for its offensive on Ukraine. The Defence Ministry released footage showing trucks transporting missiles to a field for launch system preparations and troops at an airfield readying a bomber to carry a nuclear warhead.
The drills involved practicing the loading of launch vehicles, driving to designated launch sites, and loading planes with Kinzhal missiles, which are hypersonic weapons. It was not indicated whether any test firings took place.
“The exercises are clearly a response to discussions about NATO troops in Ukraine,” said Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control official, to Reuters. “The key aspects are the advance announcement and visibility.”
Western militaries will closely monitor these exercises to assess how much warning time they would have if Russia were to deploy such weapons in reality.
Tactical nuclear weapons, also known as non-strategic nuclear weapons, are intended for battlefield use and have immense destructive potential. According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads, although the exact number is uncertain.
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