MOSCOW, Russia
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills involving the navy and troops based near Ukraine, the defense ministry said Monday.
Putin has upped his nuclear
rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began, warning in his address to the nation
in February there was a “real” risk of nuclear war.
“During the exercise, a set of
measures will be taken to practice the preparation and use of non-strategic
nuclear weapons,” the defense ministry said.
Non-strategic nuclear weapons,
also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for use on the battlefield
and can be delivered via missiles.
The ministry said the
exercises would take place “in the near future” and were aimed at ensuring
Russia’s territorial integrity in the face of “threats by certain Western
officials.”
Aircraft and naval forces will
take part, as well as troops from the Southern Military District, which borders
Ukraine and includes the occupied Ukrainian territories, it said.
Western officials have become
increasingly alarmed by the Kremlin’s nuclear rhetoric during the offensive in
Ukraine, with Putin frequently invoking Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
Last year Russia ditched its
ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and pulled out of a
key arms reduction agreement with the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment