Putin ordered tactical nuclear weapons maneuvers after Western threats

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that President Vladimir Putin has ordered the armed forces to carry out tactical nuclear exercises “soon” due to “threats” from the West.

In a military statement, they said that “during the exercises a series of activities will be carried out (…) for the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.”

These missile exercises, which will involve both the air force and the navy, will be carried out by forces of the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine.

According to the statement, the exercises aim to “improve the level of preparedness of non-strategic nuclear forces when carrying out combat missions.”

He also stressed that the Russian military intends to “unconditionally guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state in response to provocative statements and threats made by certain Western leaders once morest the Russian Federation.”

The exercises are a response to Macron’s statements

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily telephone briefing on Monday that the exercises were a response to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and other senior British officials.

“They talked regarding the readiness and even intention to send military contingents to Ukraine, that is, to put NATO soldiers once morest Russian soldiers. This is a new spiral of escalation of tension. It is unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures,” he said.

A few days ago, in a statement to The Economist, Macron insisted that he did not rule out sending NATO troops to Ukrainian territory.

Several senior Russian officials have suggested the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, while opposing the possible deployment of such weapons by the US in the United Kingdom.

Putin also approved the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the country from whose territory Russian troops entered Ukraine in the early days of the current war.

These maneuvers take place on the eve of Putin’s inauguration for a fifth term in the Kremlin, who has increased spending in the last decade on the modernization of Russia’s nuclear triad – intercontinental missiles, atomic submarines and strategic aviation – to maintain parity with the US.

*With information from EFE*