Russian forces rehearsed deploying electronically-launched missiles as part of tactical nuclear weapons drills, Moscow's Defense Ministry has said, after what the Kremlin called "provocative statements and threats" from Western countries supporting Ukraine.
Russian troops taking part in non-strategic nuclear forces exercises conducted "combat training tasks for covertly advancing" and "carried out electronic missile launches against conditional enemy targets," the Russian government said in a statement on Thursday. Moscow shared footage it said showed the drills on land and at sea.
Russia's Defense Ministry had shared a separate clip on Wednesday, showing what it said was training involving the Iskander-M mobile short-range ballistic missile system as part of the exercises. Newsweek could not independently verify the clips.
Nuclear weapons drills have been ongoing for weeks, but the second stage of the exercises got underway this week. This wave involved Belarus, where some Russian tactical nuclear weapons are stationed.
Moscow said it had completed deliveries of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, a key Kremlin ally, in fall 2023. Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for battlefield use, less powerful and widely destructive than strategic nuclear weapons.
Russian state media announced the drills in early May, quoting the defense ministry as saying they came off the back of "provocative statements and threats by some Western officials" against Russia.
The more than two years of war in Ukraine have soured relations between Russia and Western countries to their worst point in decades. It has also brought concerns about the possible use of nuclear weapons back into the spotlight.
Prominent Russian officials, such as former President Dmitry Medvedev, and Russian state television commentators have frequently mentioned the prospect of nuclear war. Some state media hosts and guests have suggested that Moscow should launch nuclear strikes on countries, such as the U.S. and U.K, that support Kyiv's war effort.
"The idea of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, has become a subject of debate," United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said in September 2022.
"For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it," Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month. "If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal."
Within NATO, only a few countries have nuclear weapons, but several European bases host U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.
In April, Polish President Andrzej Duda suggested Warsaw was willing to host U.S. nuclear weapons under a NATO policy known as "nuclear sharing."
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
