Russia’s Defense Ministry has initiated a series of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, a move prompted by Western officials’ discussions about potentially escalating their involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
This marks the first time Russia has publicly announced exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly engage in drills.
According to the ministry, the drills will include practical training in preparing and deploying non-strategic nuclear weapons, such as the nuclear-capable Kinzhal and Iskander missiles.
The drills are being conducted in the Southern Military District, which encompasses Russian territories in the south, including areas bordering Ukraine, as well as Crimea (annexed from Ukraine in 2014) and four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russia since 2022.
The announcement of the drills came on May 6th, with the Defense Ministry stating that they were a response to ‘provocative statements and threats’ made by certain Western officials regarding Russia.
Tactical nuclear weapons, which include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles, and artillery munitions, are designed for battlefield use and have a relatively smaller yield compared to strategic weapons like intercontinental ballistic missiles intended to obliterate entire cities.
The announcement followed statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who indicated that Kyiv’s forces could use British long-range weapons to target locations within Russia.
Moscow has condemned these remarks as escalatory, further straining relations between Russia and NATO.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attributed the decision to conduct nuclear drills to Macron’s statement and similar comments from British and U.S. officials, describing them as ‘a new round of escalation’.
