russia announces exercises with tactical nuclear weapons
Peskov said it was a response to recent statements by Western countries about their readiness to send troops to Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced an exercise involving the use of tactical nuclear weapons. In a statement, the ministry said that the General Staff has begun preparations for exercises with missile formations of the Southern Military District, involving aviation and the Russian Navy.
The tactical nuclear forces will be prepared for combat missions "in the near future" – "in response to provocative statements and threats made by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation", the Russian Defence Ministry explained.
Russia conducts exercises with strategic nuclear weapons every year, but tactical nuclear weapons have never been trained to be used before. According to the Agency, these are the first known such exercises since the collapse of the USSR.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has already said that these are special measures required by recent statements by Western countries about their readiness to send troops to Ukraine. Dmitriy Medvedev predicted a "global catastrophe" and threatened that "no one will be able to hide either on Capitol Hill, the Elysee Palace or 10 Downing Street".
The European Union called Russia's announcement of nuclear weapons exercises a continuation of irresponsible behaviour and a further escalation of the situation.
A representative of the EU's External Action Service, Peter Stano, made a comment on this issue on Monday in Brussels, answering questions from journalists.
"This is, of course, a continuation of Russia's irresponsible behaviour and further proof that the Kremlin is only interested in further aggravating the situation caused by its illegal aggression against Ukraine," he said.
In this regard, Stano called on Russia to "stop the escalation, stop the irresponsible rhetoric, stop the irresponsible behaviour, stop the aggression against Ukraine and stop violating international law and all international obligations that Russia has undertaken".
Background. As a reminder, French President Emmanuel Macron said that French troops could appear in Ukraine if Russian forces break through the front and Kyiv requests them.
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