Putin orders nuclear maneuvers in the face of what he considers “threats from the West”

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordered the Armed Forces to shortly carry out exercises with tactical nuclear weapons, citing what he considered "threats" coming from the West.

Through an official statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated this Monday that the exercises will include a series of activities to prepare and use non-strategic nuclear weapons, involving aviation and the Navy, under the supervision of the forces of the Southern Military District. , which borders Ukraine.

The objective of the maneuvers is to improve the level of readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces and guarantee Russia's territorial integrity and sovereignty in the face of what Moscow considers provocative statements and threats from certain Western leaders.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, indicated that these exercises respond to the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron and other senior British officials, who expressed their willingness to send military contingents to Ukraine, thus putting NATO soldiers against the Russian military. According to The world, Peskov considered that this represents a new unprecedented escalation of tension that requires special attention and special measures.

In statements to The Economist, Macron raised the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukrainian territory. For their part, several senior Russian officials have suggested the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, while opposing their placement by the United States in the United Kingdom.

Putin also authorized the deployment of this type of weapons in Belarus, the country from which Russian troops entered Ukraine at the beginning of the war.

These maneuvers occur just before Putin's inauguration for a fifth term in the Kremlin. Over the past decade, the Russian president has increased spending on modernizing the Russian nuclear triad - intercontinental missiles, atomic submarines and strategic aviation - to try to maintain parity with the United States.

In February, in response to alleged NATO plans to deploy troops to Ukraine, Putin highlighted that Russian strategic nuclear forces are in full combat readiness. Last year, Russia revoked its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), but maintains a moratorium as long as Washington does not carry out such tests.