Vladimir Putin ordered his military to prepare for nuclear weapons exercises in light of the delivery of U.S. missiles and fighter jets to Ukraine, Russia has said.
The foreign ministry in Moscow specified that American military support for Kyiv was a key reason why Putin had instructed Russia’s General Staff to practice the preparation and use of tactical nuclear weapons, which are smaller than strategic nuclear weapons and can be used on the battlefield.
However, one military expert told Newsweek that Putin’s order doesn’t mean he is going to use nuclear weapons, but that he intended to show “just that the weapons exist.”
Since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin put his nuclear forces on special alert. Since then, the Kremlin has sent mixed messages about the atomic threat it could pose, while its propagandists have made repeated threats about strikes on Western capitals.
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The Russian foreign ministry on Monday announced nuclear exercises involving missile formations from the country’s Southern Military District (SMD) and Russian aviation and naval forces, following “openly declared support” by the West for Kyiv “using increasingly advanced weapons.”
The statement referred to strikes on Russian infrastructure attributed to Kyiv and the reported appearance of British, French and U.S. long-range missile systems in Ukraine.
“The United States has openly and clearly embarked on the deployment of ground-based systems with intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles (INF), which were previously banned under the INF Treaty,” the statement said, referring to the agreement the U.S. withdrew from in 2019 under former President Donald Trump.
“We explicitly state that whenever and wherever U.S.-made ground-based intermediate-range missiles appear, we reserve the right to respond in kind, which will mean the end of Russia’s unilateral moratorium on the deployment of these weapons systems,” the ministry said.
It also condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the possibility of sending French and other NATO troops to Ukraine as indicating the bloc’s intention “to a further escalation of the Ukrainian crisis towards an open military clash between NATO countries and Russia.”
Moscow also said that it would consider the arrival of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a provocation because “we cannot ignore the fact that these aircraft are dual-equipped platforms,” and can be used for nuclear and conventional weapons.
The U.S. has given the green light for its allies to deliver the aircraft, which are expected to be used in Ukraine in the coming months.
Reminder From Putin
“Putin is reminding people that Russia has nuclear weapons and they should think very carefully before getting directly involved in the war in Ukraine,” David Silbey, associate professor of history at Cornell University and a military and defense analyst, told Newsweek.
“It doesn’t mean he’s about to use them, just that the weapons exist and are ready to go. Think of it as cocking a gun in an old western movie—you’re not using it yet, but everyone’s aware that you’ve got it,” he added.
The latest Russian nuclear threat is among the hybrid warfare tactics the Kremlin is using as part of its “reflexive control” campaign to manipulate an adversary’s actions, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
The Washington, D.C., think tank noted on Monday how Russia’s latest nuclear saber-rattling coincides with the imminent arrival of weapons in Ukraine from Kyiv’s allies.
By raising the alert of atomic weapons, Moscow wants “to scare Western decision-makers out of allowing Ukrainian forces to use Western-provided systems to attack legitimate military targets in Russia,” the ISW added.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.