The scare move should frighten NATO: It is a warning

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The scare move should frighten NATO: It is a warning

John Edgar

Published 00.21

The tactical nuclear warheads are transported by truck to a field where they are to be fired.

Fighter jets stand ready to take off with a lethal load of hypersonic Kinzjal robots.

The goal is terror and fear.

- It is a warning, says Putin.

Quick version

• Russia has begun a military exercise in the Southern Military District, near the Ukrainian border, to test the readiness of tactical nuclear weapons.
• The exercise was launched as a warning to the West following comments by President Macron and Foreign Secretary Cameron about possible European military aid and Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia.         

The images from the Russian Ministry of Defense were sent out on Tuesday.

And they are more aimed at the outside world than at the own population.

The exercise in the southern military district, which includes Crimea and Russian areas near the Ukrainian border, will test the readiness of the country's tactical nuclear weapons.

Russia has begun a military exercise with tactical nuclear warheads in the Southern Military District, near the border with Ukraine. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense

"A Warning to the West"

The Ministry of Defense states that the first phase of the military exercise has now begun.

There, they will practice loading launch systems, driving the warheads to launch areas and loading fighter jets with the hypersonic Kinzjal robots, writes The Guardian.

Vladimir Putin mentioned the Russian nuclear weapons on Victory Day. They are "constantly ready for battle," the Russian president said. Photo: Maksim Blinov/Sputnik/AP

When Putin ordered the exercise earlier in May, the Kremlin stated that it "is a warning to the West not to increase the tension further".

From the Russian side, people were furious when French President Macron opened up the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine in the future to assist in the war.

They were just as angry at the British foreign minister, David Cameron, who said during a visit to Kiev that Ukraine "absolutely has every right to fight back against Russia”.

            

         Combat flight with the hypersonic Kinzjal robots during the exercise. Photo: Ria Novosti/Sputnik

Increased Russian concern

He also said that the British government "has no reservations about the use of British weapons by the Ukrainian army".

In other words: They can be used against targets inside Russia.

The messages, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, "potentially pose a danger to Europe's security, to the entire European security sphere."

- We see a dangerous trend towards escalation in official statements. It increases our concern, Peskov said according to AFP.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Photo: Alexey Maishev / AP

Unlike strategic nuclear weapons, which can travel between continents and knock out entire cities, tactical nuclear weapons have been covered by disarmament pacts between Russia and the United States.

Tactical nuclear weapons are usually smaller charges that can equip, for example, a conventional cruise robot and are carried by regular fighter aircraft.

Was reassured by China

Its use is for operations on the battlefield - not to knock out an enemy completely.

Putin has not disclosed how many tactical nuclear weapons the country has or any other details about the arsenal.

In his recent Victory Day speech, the president said that the Russian nuclear weapons are "constantly ready for battle".

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping last week. Photo: Sergei Bobylev / AP

At the start of the war, Putin repeatedly threatened the Russian nuclear arsenal to keep NATO out of the conflict.

He later softened his rhetoric, reportedly after pressure from China, writes The Guardian.

But after the outings from France and Great Britain, the president has gone on the offensive again.