Russia holds tactical nuclear weapons exercises with Belarus

MOSCOW >> Russia said Tuesday its troops had begun the second stage of exercises aimed at training for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons alongside Belarusian troops after what Moscow said were threats from Western powers .

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

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. .

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

During the first stage of the exercises, Russian troops trained to arm and deploy Iskander missiles, while the Air Force trained to arm Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.

The second stage, announced Tuesday, involves developing joint training of Russian and Belarusian units “for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the Defense Ministry said.

“The situation on the European continent is quite tense, caused every day by new decisions and actions of European capitals hostile to Russia, and especially by Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the exercises. .

“Therefore, of course, such exercises and maintaining combat readiness are very important for us.”

In footage released by the Defense Ministry, an Iskander missile system was shown being rammed into a field and the missiles were lifted. MiG-31 supersonic interceptors carrying Kinzhal missiles and Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bombers were also demonstrated.

Putin said Friday that Russia did not need to use nuclear weapons to ensure victory in Ukraine, the Kremlin's strongest signal yet that Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II will not degenerate into nuclear war.

Putin also said he did not rule out changing Russia's nuclear doctrine, which sets out the conditions under which such weapons could be used.

NUCLEAR RISKS

The United States says it has seen no change in Russia's strategic posture, although senior intelligence officials say they must take Moscow's remarks on nuclear weapons seriously.

Russia and the United States are by far the world's largest nuclear powers, holding about 88 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

“Tactical nuclear weapons” are designed for use on a battlefield, so they are generally less powerful than strategic nuclear weapons, which could destroy entire cities.

The United States has approximately 100 B61 non-strategic nuclear weapons deployed in five European countries: Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The United States has another 100 weapons of this type on its territory.

Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads, but arms control experts say it is very difficult to say how many there are because of secrecy.

Putin said last week that most Russian tactical nuclear weapons have an explosive power of 70 to 75 kilotons, about five times the size of the U.S. nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.

A senior White House official said Friday that the United States may need to deploy more strategic nuclear weapons in coming years to deter growing threats from Russia, China and other countries.