Russia plans to hold exercises simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments from senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine.
The exercises are in response to “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
It was the first time Russia publicly announced tactical nuclear weapons exercises, although its strategic nuclear forces conduct exercises periodically. Tactical nuclear weapons have lower yields compared to the massive warheads that arm ICBMs intended to destroy entire cities.
The announcement appeared to be a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies not to become more deeply involved in the more than two-year war. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern about fueling the war amid fears it could spread beyond Ukraine and turn into a conflict between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kiev forces will be able to use long-range British weapons to attack targets. within Russia.
The Kremlin called those comments dangerous and increased tension between Russia and NATO. The war has already put a significant strain on relations between Moscow and the West.
Tactical nuclear weapons include aerial bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are intended for use on the battlefield.
The ministry said the exercise aims to “increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfill combat tasks” and will be carried out by order of President Vladimir Putin. Missile units of the Southern Military District will participate in the maneuvers along with the air force and navy, he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones attacked two vehicles on Monday in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing six people and wounding 35 others, including two children, local authorities said, in an area frequently attacked by Kiev forces in recent years. months.
One of the vehicles was a minibus carrying agricultural workers, the Belgorod governor said. said Vyacheslav Gladkov.
No further details were immediately available and it was not possible to independently confirm the report from the border region.
While Ukraine’s military is largely immobilized on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line due to troop and ammunition shortages after more than two years of fighting, it has used its long-range firepower to attack targets deep in Russia. The apparent goal is to disrupt Russia’s war logistics system by attacking oil refineries and depots, and unnerve Russian border regions.
The Belgorod region was a staging ground for the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has been under regular attack since Russian forces withdrew there from northeastern Ukraine early in the war following a counteroffensive by kyiv. .
In what has largely been a war of attrition, Russia has also relied heavily on long-range missiles, artillery and drones to inflict damage on Ukraine.
Late last year, Belgorod officials said 25 people were killed, including five children, and more than 100 were wounded in a Ukrainian attack, and regular rocket and drone attacks have continued since. The area can be reached with relatively simple and mobile weapons, such as multiple rocket launchers, from the forests on the Ukrainian side.
Russian authorities said in March they planned to evacuate about 9,000 children from the area due to continued shelling, after Putin said he wanted to create a buffer zone to help protect border regions.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine