Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered military exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons near Ukraine, in what the Kremlin describes as a response to 'provocative statements' by Western leaders. The drills, to be conducted by troops from the Southern Military District bordering Ukraine, will focus on the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explicitly linked the exercises to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron and British representatives, calling them 'a completely new round of escalating tensions' that require 'special measures'. The announcement follows weeks of heightened rhetoric from Western officials about potential troop deployments to Ukraine.
Russian diplomat Grigory Mashkov warned that Moscow must expand its missile arsenal to deter adversaries, describing current relations as the worst since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. 'We are now at the stage of open confrontation, which, I hope, will not result in a direct armed conflict,' he told state media.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a stark threat on Telegram, stating that any Western troop deployment to Ukraine would trigger a response 'not in the territory of Ukraine' but directly against Western capitals. 'None of them will be able to hide either on Capitol Hill, or in the Elysee Palace, or in 10 Downing Street,' he wrote.
Russia has also commissioned studies on nuclear deterrence from political scientist Sergey Karganov, a longtime Putin advisor who previously called for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Europe. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates Russia will spend 7.1% of GDP on defence in 2024, over a third of total government spending.
