Russia announces nuclear drills, lashing out in anger at West
Russia announces nuclear drills, lashing out in anger at West
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a sharp message on the eve of his inauguration for a fifth term in office, planning tactical nuclear drills as the Kremlin accused Western leaders of escalating tensions over the Ukraine war and hauled in the ambassadors of Britain and France for a dressing-down.
As Putin met with members of the government Monday while preparing to begin his new term, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it would stage nonstrategic nuclear missile drills in the near future. Russia’s Foreign Ministry also summoned the British and French ambassadors for a scolding, sending a tough message about Russia’s hardening approach to the West.
Tactical or nonstrategic nuclear weapons are smaller weapons designed for battlefield use, unlike strategic nuclear missiles that could destroy cities in distant continents.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the drills were in response to French, British and American statements on the war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has been vocal in refusing to rule out sending ground forces to Ukraine. British Foreign Minister David Cameron said last week that Ukraine was now entitled to use British weapons to strike Russian territory.
“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,” Peskov said. “This is a completely new round of escalation of tension. It is unprecedented. It requires special attention and special measures.”
In his comments, Peskov referred to a U.S. senator who he said made remarks that had also triggered the Russian drills. He did not identify the senator.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, officials from Putin on down have issued successive warnings about Russia’s willingness to use nuclear weapons if “red lines” were crossed. They said that included Ukrainian strikes on Crimea or on Russian territory, or the supply of certain Western equipment to Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said that Britain and France were increasingly involved in what it characterizes as a war by the “collective West” on Russia.
Ignoring warnings from Western leaders that they would respond strongly to an invasion of Ukraine, Putin ordered the full-scale war against the nation in February 2022, after demanding a radical reshaping of Europe’s security system on Russian terms the previous December.
The war has led to colossal Russian and Ukrainian casualties, including thousands of Ukrainian civilians, and the destruction of Ukrainian cities, industry, infrastructure, hospitals, educational facilities and churches.
The West has provided support to Ukraine since the outset of the war, initially imposing strict limits on Ukraine, for example by offering limited-range missiles that could not be used to strike Russian territory.
Cameron last week made it clear that no such restrictions remain when it comes to British weapons, while the United States recently sent longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems missiles to Ukraine, according to U.S. officials. The missiles are capable of striking targets up to 186 miles away, nearly double the range of the midrange missiles the United States sent previously.
The war has also isolated Russia from the West. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the British and French ambassadors, according to ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Meanwhile, Germany recalled its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations in a sign of intense displeasure over hacking last year of German defense and aerospace companies and emails associated with Social Democratic party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Russian Foreign Ministry later released a statement that it expressed “a strong protest” to the British ambassador over Cameron’s comments on Kyiv’s right to strike Russia with British weapons. The response could be strikes on British military facilities and equipment beyond or within Ukraine, the ministry said in its statement.
The British ambassador “was told that the Russian side regards David Cameron’s words as an indication of a serious escalation and confirmation of London’s increasing involvement in the military action on Kiev’s side,” the ministry said.
The ministry said it summoned the French ambassador over the “increasingly bellicose statements by the French leadership and incoming information about France’s growing involvement in the conflict around Ukraine.”
“The Russian side outlined fundamental assessments of the destructive and provocative line of Paris, leading to a further escalation of the conflict,” the ministry said.