The Kremlin said Monday that the Russian military’s planned exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons are directly tied to statements by French, British and American officials and lawmakers about their countries' readiness to deploy military contingents in Ukraine.
These provocations “require special attention and special measures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked about the purpose of the upcoming drills.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier in the day that the tactical nuclear missile drills will be aimed “at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons to respond and in order to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Russia.”
The Russian exercises come against the background of Steadfast Defender – NATO’s largest military drills since the 1980s, taking place across Europe, including near Russia's borders, and in the face of rising tensions with the West amid the possible collapse of Ukrainian positions in the proxy war with Moscow, and growing fears in Kiev, Washington and Brussels that the situation could develop into an uncontrollable route for Ukraine’s NATO-armed and trained armies.
Tactical nuclear rounds can also be equipped in Russia’s strategic missile defense platforms, including the A-135 stationary platform guarding Moscow, and reportedly, the mobile S-300 and S-400 systems.
According to publicly available information, Russia’s tactical nukes are subject to the same tough restrictions as its strategic arsenal, with Moscow strictly limiting their use cases to responses to aggression against Russia using nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction, or conventional aggression so severe that it is deemed to threaten the integrity of the Russian state. That's more than can be said about the US nuclear arsenal, with US doctrine allowing for nukes to be used preemptively, and even against non-nuclear armed adversaries.
“Exercises using this kind of ammunition were last conducted during the Soviet period. Therefore, it’s necessary to carry out drills so that those who would have to use them know how to handle and use these weapons,” Moscow-based military observer and defense tech expert Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik.
The military observer doesn’t think any drills will involve the use of live nuclear rounds, given Russia’s continued adherence to a commitment not to engage in nuclear testing of any kind.
“If we’re talking about foreign policy, [Kremlin spokesman] Dmitry Peskov said that this is a certain signal to those Western countries ‘playing war’ in Ukraine, who are planning officially to send contingents of troops there, who are going to supply some types of weapons that will allow Ukraine to fire on our territories,” Leonkov explained.
Put another way, the exercises are designed to serve as a message from Russia that “there is a limit” to the aggression Moscow is willing to tolerate, Leonkov emphasized.
It’s clear that the exercises were ordered by President Putin in his capacity as supreme commander-in-chief, Leonkov believes.
“But before this there was his statement [in March] about F-16 aircraft based in NATO countries participating in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, and that it doesn’t matter who’s flying them – Ukrainian or non-Ukrainian pilots – that [Russia] will consider the matter of airfields where these aircraft are based and take off from, that they will become our legitimate targets. But apparently, this warning by our president was not heard in the West,” Leonkov explained.
Regarding Monday’s MoD announcement about the planned tactical nuclear missile drills, Leonkov warned that those in the West who once again choose to ignore Russia’s warnings on this issue and cast them off as insignificant or not worth paying attention to “are very seriously mistaken.”
In the meantime, the drills will busy the military with the task of renewing its tactical and operational-tactical arsenals.
“These munitions also need to be renewed, because their long-term storage deteriorates their tactical and technical characteristics, and all weapons carrying special nuclear warheads need to be up updated by a certain date – either their service life is extended or they are updated.” As with Russia’s strategic arsenal, such an update is already underway, Leonkov concluded.