MOSCOW: Russian forces have started the first stage of exercises on the orders of President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear arms, said the Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
Moscow has linked the drills to what it calls militant statements by some Western officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to nuclear analysts the exercises are designed as a warning sign by Putin to deter the West from involving more deeply in the war in Ukraine. Western nations have provided weapons and intelligence to Ukraine but have refrained from sending troops.
The Defense Ministry said the first phase of the drill involved Kinzhal and Iskander missiles.
It is aimed at ensuring that units and equipment are ready to use non-strategic nuclear arms to respond and unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Russia, said the ministry.
The exercise involves missile forces in Russia’s Southern Military District, which is adjacent to Ukraine and also includes parts of Ukraine that are now controlled by Russia.
Belarus, a Russian ally will also be involved in the drill, the two countries have said.
Tactical, or non-strategic, nuclear arms are less powerful than the strategic weapons designed to wipe out entire enemy cities, but they have huge destructive potential.
Some Western analysts believe that non-strategic nuclear weapons have acquired greater significance in Moscow’s thinking since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
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According to the Federation of American Scientists Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads. The weapons are controlled by the Russian Defense Ministry’s 12th Main Directorate also known as 12th GUMO.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control official, told Reuters that the drills are, a signal in response to discussion of NATO troops in Ukraine.
“The involvement of 12th GUMO can produce insights into how much time the release of warheads takes, how well detectable, how much warning,” said Sokov.
The Foreign Ministry of Russia on May 6 said the exercises would send a “sobering signal” to the West and its “puppets” in Ukraine.
