by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Monday that it will be conducting practice drills for using nuclear weapons – because of “threats” made by Western officials, Reuters reports. The drills are a “response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation,” the defense ministry said.
According to the ministry, the drills were ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a response to perceived threats from France, Britain, and the United States – NATO allies who have been engaged in helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion that began in 2022.
The military drills announced by Russia include practicing the preparation and deployment for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, Reuters reports. Missile forces in the Southern Military District, aviation, and the navy will participate in the exercises.
Putin has rattled the nuclear weapons saber in the past, but to no effect so far. “We do not see anything new here,” Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence, said in a statement. “Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin’s regime.”
Nevertheless, the United States has said Putin’s threat must be taken seriously, Reuters reports. Russia and the United States are the two biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world’s 12,100 nuclear warheads.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.