Moscow: Russia has begun the third stage of drills to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. The move comes at a critical point in the Ukraine war after senior officials in Moscow termed it the “most difficult phase”.
This is the second such military exercise initiated by Putin in a fortnight and the West-led NATO alliance is still unsure of how to deal with the escalating situation. The rise in tensions began after western forces, led by the US were planning to allow Ukraine the use of long-range cruise missiles to target territories deep inside Russia.
“In accordance with the decision of the president of the Russian Federation, the third stage of the exercise of non-strategic nuclear forces has begun,” the Russian defense ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Soldiers from the Southern and Central military districts will train how to deploy dummy warheads for Iskander-M operational and tactical missile systems and covertly move them to launch sites, the defense ministry said.
The maneuvers involved strategic Tu-95MS bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and launching cruise missiles. The Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, provided Putin with details regarding the exercises.
Is Russia Preparing For A Nuclear War?
According to information provided, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov warned that these exercises illustrate Russia’s capability to conduct a “massive nuclear attack with strategic offensive forces in response to a potential nuclear attack from an adversary.”
Meanwhile, Russia says the United States and its European allies are pushing the world to the brink of nuclear confrontation by giving Ukraine billions of dollars worth of weapons, some of which are being used against Russian territory.
Additionally, the Kremlin announced changes in nuclear doctrine, aligning with Putin’s recommendations. The president stated that these changes will allow Moscow to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack by a power possessing nuclear weapons, thus lowering the “nuclear threshold.”
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