Russia preparing non-strategic nuclear strike drills

Russia’s Defence Ministry has announced that its forces were preparing to conduct tactical nuclear weapons exercises in response to Western “threats and provocations”.

“At the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions, the General Staff has begun preparations for conducting exercises in the near future,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement, according to The Moscow Times.

The exercises would involve missile units of Russia’s Southern Military District, which is headquartered in the city of Rostov-on-Don, as well as aviation and naval forces. 

“During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the statement says.

According to the Defence Ministry, the exercises seek to maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment amid “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation.” The date of the nuclear weapons exercises is unknown.

President Vladimir Putin placed Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert days after ordering Russian troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022.

Last year, Putin signed a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which outlawed live tests of nuclear weapons. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow still intended to uphold a moratorium on nuclear test bans.