Russia announces new tactical nuclear weapons exercises with Belarus

By Jack Phillips
Contributing writer

Russia and Belarus have launched the second stage of their nuclear exercises, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media that the nuclear exercises were a response to what Russia sees as escalatory measures by the United States and NATO in the context of Ukrainian conflict.

“There is a rather tense situation on the European continent, caused every day by new hostile decisions and actions of European capitals and Washington towards Russia. Provocation occurs daily. Therefore, of course, such exercises and maintaining combat readiness are very important for us,” Peskov said, according to state-controlled media.

Since sending thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia could use nuclear weapons to defend itself in extreme situations, comments the West has dismissed as bullshit. .

Meanwhile, Russia last month linked nuclear exercises ordered by Putin to what it called “provocative statements and threats by some Western officials against the Russian Federation.”

In the first stage of the exercises, Russian troops trained in arming and deploying Iskander missiles, while the Air Force trained in arming Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, according to media reports officials.

Russia said the United States and its European allies were pushing the world to the brink of nuclear confrontation by supplying Ukraine with weapons worth billions of dollars, some of which are being used against Russian territory.

In footage posted by the Russian Defense Ministry on social media, an Iskander missile system was shown being driven into a field, with its missiles raised. MiG-31 supersonic interceptors carrying Kinzhal missiles and Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bombers were also demonstrated.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the new exercises in an article published in Russian state media. Shoigu noted that there has been a “generally moderate reaction from the international community to the exercises of Russian non-strategic nuclear forces in the Union State”, referring to an agreement between Russia and Belarus .

The defense minister also claimed that the nuclear exercises were “an adequate response to Western support” for Ukrainian forces and claimed that Western leaders had given “authorization to kyiv to launch missile attacks” targeting Russian assets inside Russia.

Putin said last week that Russia does not need to use nuclear weapons to ensure victory in Ukraine, in the Kremlin's strongest signal yet that the conflict will not escalate into nuclear war . He also said he did not rule out changing Russia's nuclear doctrine, which defines the conditions under which such weapons could be used.

“Recourse is possible in an exceptional case, in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. I don't think such a case happened. This is not necessary,” Putin said Saturday at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, according to the translation of a streaming video feed of the event.

Russian ships sent to the Caribbean

The exercises come as the Cuban Foreign Ministry confirmed on June 6 that Russian naval vessels would be deployed this week around the Caribbean Sea.

“This visit corresponds to the historic friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and strictly respects international regulations,” the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “None of the ships are carrying nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not pose a threat to the region.”

The Foreign Ministry statement added that the Russian sailors will visit various Cuban government officials and places of “historical and cultural interest” and undertake other activities.

Neither the Russian Foreign Ministry nor the Russian Defense Ministry have issued public comments on the upcoming visit. The United States has also not publicly commented on the matter.

Reuters contributed to this report.