The drills come in response to what the Russian Defense Ministry says are “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation.” Though Russian nuclear forces regularly hold exercises, this marks the first time Moscow has announced drills using tactical nuclear weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons are not like intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as Russia’s infamous Satan II, which has a range of 11,185 miles and can carry 10 independently targeted warheads that could wipe out multiple cities. Tactical nukes are smaller, less powerful nuclear weapons designed for use against troops on the battlefield, and can have a yield as small as one kiloton — the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. The Russian Foreign Ministry cites “belligerent statements” made by Western officials and NATO’s “destabilizing actions” and “power politics” as the reason for why the exercises were ordered by President Vladimir Putin. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said Western “threats” include statements recently made by French President Emmanuel Macron, who refused to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, and David Cameron, Britain’s top diplomat, who said Ukraine could use British weapons to launch attacks inside Russia. “This is a completely new round of escalation of tensions — it is unprecedented,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on May 6. “And, of course, it requires special attention and special measures.” He added, “They talked about the readiness and even the intention to send armed contingents to Ukraine, that is, in fact, to put NATO soldiers in front of the Russian military. This is a completely new round of escalation of tension. It is unprecedented. It requires special attention and special measures.” President Joe Biden said last year there was no real prospect of Putin ordering the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Western and Ukrainian officials say the latest actions by Moscow is a bluff to scare the West. "We do not see anything new here," said Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence. "Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin's regime." In the two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has issued multiple warnings about the potential for nuclear conflict if Russian officials believe there is a grave threat to their security.Russia has announced it will hold military drills near Ukraine to rehearse the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a warning to Western nations amid their ongoing support for Kyiv.
