Vladimir Putin has ordered drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments on the Ukraine war by Emmanuel Macron and David Cameron.
The drills are in response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
It was the first time that Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, though its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises.
Tactical nuclear weapons have a lower yield compared to massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles intended to obliterate entire cities.
The announcement appeared to be a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies about becoming more deeply involved in the more than two-year war. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern about stoking the war amid fears it could spill beyond Ukraine and into a conflict between Nato and Russia.
Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, repeated last week that he does not exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said Kyiv’s forces would be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
The Kremlin described those comments as dangerous, adding to tension between Russia and Nato.
“It’s obvious we are talking about statements from Mr Macron and statements from British representatives,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said when asked by reporters what had prompted the drills, adding: “This is a completely new round of escalating tensions. It is unprecedented and requires special measures.”
Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on the battlefield.
The ministry said the exercise is intended to “increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfil combat tasks” and will be held on Putin’s orders. The manoeuvers will involve missile units of the Southern Military District along with the air force and the navy, it said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones hit two vehicles Monday in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing six people and injuring 35 others, including two children, local authorities said, in an area frequently struck by Kyiv’s forces in recent months.
One of the vehicles was a minibus that was carrying farm workers, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Belgorod governor, said.
No other details were immediately available, and it was not possible to independently confirm the report from the border region.
While Ukraine’s army is largely pinned down on the 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line due to a shortage of troops and ammunition after more than two years of fighting, it has used its long-range firepower to hit targets deep inside Russia. The apparent aim is to disrupt Russia’s war logistics system by hitting oil refineries and depots, and unnerve the Russian border regions.
The Belgorod region was a staging ground for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has come under regular attack ever since Russian forces retreated there from northeastern Ukraine early in the war following a counter-offensive by Kyiv.
