Russia, nuclear weapons drills after heated exchanges with Western officials

2024-05-06 16:51:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russia plans to hold exercises simulating the use of nuclear weapons on the battlefield, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine. A few days ago, Moscow also warned of an escalation of tensions with the West.

The drills are in response to "provocative statements and threats by some Western officials against the Russian Federation," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

This is the first time Russia has publicly announced exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its nuclear forces regularly conduct drills. Tactical nuclear weapons include aerial bombs, short-range nuclear missiles, and artillery munitions for use on the battlefield. They are less powerful than nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can destroy entire cities.

The Russian announcement appeared to be a warning to Ukraine's Western allies not to get more deeply involved in the more than two-year-old war. Some of Ukraine's Western partners have previously expressed concern about the escalation of the conflict amid fears it could spread beyond Ukraine, leading to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated last week that he does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kiev's forces would be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Several other NATO countries that supply Kiev with weapons have opposed this.

The Kremlin described those comments as dangerous, escalating tensions between Russia and NATO. The war has already strained relations between Moscow and the West.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that President Macron's recent statement and other comments from British and US officials had prompted the nuclear drills.

"It's a new round of escalation," Mr. Peskov said, referring to comments that the Kremlin considered provocative statements. "These are unprecedented comments and require special attention and special measures," Mr. Peskov told reporters.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, which is chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in his typically arrogant manner that comments by President Macron and Mr Cameron risked pushing the nuclear-armed world towards a "global catastrophe".

This is not the first time that Europe's military support for Ukraine has angered Russian authorities and prompted threats to use nuclear weapons. In March last year, following the British government's decision to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium shells, which are used against armored vehicles, Russian President Putin announced that he intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

The Russian defense ministry said the exercise is aimed at "increasing the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfill combat tasks" and will be held on the orders of President Putin. The missile unit of the Southern Military District, air and naval forces will participate in this exercise, according to the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Western officials have accused Russia of threatening to spread the war through its provocative actions. NATO countries said last week they are deeply concerned by a campaign of hybrid activities on the territory of the military alliance organized by Russia, saying they pose a threat to their security.

The Kremlin spokesman, Dimitry Peskov, rejected these claims, considering them "new baseless accusations leveled against our country".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck two vehicles on Monday in Russia's Belgorod region, killing six people and injuring 35 others, including two children, local authorities said. This area has been hit frequently by Ukrainian forces in recent months.

One of the vehicles hit was a small bus carrying farm workers, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

No other details were immediately available after the attack and it was not possible to independently confirm the report from this border region.

While Ukraine's military is largely concentrated on the 1,000-kilometer-long front line due to a shortage of troops and ammunition after more than two years of fighting, it has used its long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Their goal is to damage Russia's combat logistics system by striking oil refineries and reserves and threaten the security of Russia's border regions.

The Belgorod region was used by Russia to launch a large-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022. It has been the target of attacks since Russian forces withdrew there from northeastern Ukraine at the start of the war following a counteroffensive from Kiev.

Russia has also relied heavily on long-range missiles, artillery and drones to inflict damage in Ukraine.

Late last year, Belgorod officials said 25 people were killed, including five children, and more than 100 were wounded in a Ukrainian attack, and regular rocket and drone strikes have continued since then.

Also, the Russian army is continuing the bombing of Ukraine's electrical grid. On Sunday, Russia launched a drone attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's northern Sumy region. Many towns and villages in the region, including the city of Sumy, were left without electricity as a result of the attack, regional authorities said.

Russia attacked Ukrainian targets with 13 "Shahed" drones, 12 of which were destroyed in the Sumy region, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement./ VOA