Russia has announced plans to conduct military drills simulating the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, a move that comes in response to what the Kremlin perceives as provocative statements and threats from senior officials in France, Britain, and the United States regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. The announcement, made by Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday, marks the first time the country has publicly disclosed exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold similar drills.
According to the Defense Ministry's statement, the exercises were ordered by President Vladimir Putin and aim to ensure Russia's territorial integrity and sovereignty "in response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation." The drills will involve missile forces in the Southern Military District, aviation, and the navy, with a focus on practicing the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
The announcement appears to be a warning to Ukraine's Western allies about becoming more deeply involved in the more than two-year war, which has already placed significant strain on relations between Moscow and the West. Some of Ukraine's partners have previously expressed concern about stoking the conflict amid fears it could spill beyond Ukraine and into a confrontation between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently reiterated that he does not exclude sending troops to Ukraine, while U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that Kyiv's forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. The Kremlin branded these comments as dangerous, heightening tension between Russia and NATO.
Russia and the United States are by far the world's biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world's 12,100 nuclear warheads. Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists, although there is uncertainty about exact figures due to a lack of transparency.
While U.S. President Joe Biden said last year that he felt there was no real prospect of Russia using nuclear weapons, CNN reported that top U.S. officials conducted contingency planning for a potential Russian nuclear strike against Ukraine in 2022. Some Western and Ukrainian officials have suggested that Russia is bluffing over nuclear weapons to scare the West, though the Kremlin has repeatedly indicated that it would consider breaking the nuclear taboo if Russia's existence was threatened.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the nuclear drills are in response to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, British officials, and a representative of the U.S. Senate. Peskov said that Western statements about sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine amounted to "a completely new round of escalation of tension - it is unprecedented, and of course it requires special attention and special measures."
The announcement of Russia's nuclear drills comes as NATO is currently holding its largest exercise since the end of the Cold War, called "Steadfast Defender." The alliance has not said whether the exercise would include rehearsal of any nuclear element.
Putin has faced calls inside Russia from some hardliners to change Russia's nuclear doctrine, which sets out the conditions under which Russia would use a nuclear weapon, though Putin said last year he saw no need for change. The doctrine broadly states that such a weapon would be used in response to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or the use of conventional weapons against Russia "when the very existence of the state is put under threat."
