Russia threatens to attack UK military facilities amid rising tensions over Ukraine

The comments came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fifth term and in a week when Moscow will celebrate Victory Day on Thursday, its most important secular holiday, marking the defeat of Germany. Nazi in World War II.

It’s a new round of escalation. It is unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures.

The exercises are a response to “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials about the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It is the first time Russia has publicly announced tactical nuclear weapons exercises, although its strategic nuclear forces conduct exercises periodically.

Tactical nuclear weapons include aerial bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are intended for use on the battlefield. They are less powerful than strategic weapons: massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to destroy entire cities.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric expressed concern that various parties have recently been talking about issues related to nuclear weapons.

“Current nuclear risks are at an alarmingly high level,” he said. “All actions that could lead to miscalculations, to an escalation with catastrophic consequences, must be avoided.”

The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies not to become further involved in the two-year-old war, where Kremlin forces have gained the upper hand amid shortages of manpower and weapons in Ukraine.

Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spread beyond Ukraine and turn into a war between NATO and Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, and UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said Kiev forces will be able to use long-range British weapons to attack. objectives within Russia.

Some other NATO countries that supply weapons to kyiv have opposed that possibility.

The Kremlin called those comments dangerous and increased tension between Russia and NATO. The war has already put a significant strain on relations between Moscow and the West.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Macron’s recent statement and other comments by British and American officials had prompted the nuclear exercises.

“It’s a new round of escalation,” he said, referring to what the Kremlin considered provocative statements. “It is unprecedented and requires special attention and measures.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of France and Britain and urged the British ambassador to “think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile measures from London.”

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said nuclear exercises “contribute to increasing instability.”

“In the current security situation, Russia’s actions can be considered particularly irresponsible and reckless,” he told Swedish news agency TT.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, chaired by Putin, said the comments by Macron and Lord Cameron risked pushing the nuclear-armed world toward a “global catastrophe.”

In March 2023, following the UK’s decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium, Putin said he intended to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine’s neighbor Belarus.

Nuclear blackmail is a common practice of the Putin regime; not important news

The ministry said the latest exercise aims to “increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfill combat tasks” and will be carried out on Putin’s order. Missile units of the Southern Military Region will participate in the maneuvers along with the air force and the navy, he added.

The Russian announcement provoked little reaction in Ukraine, where Military Intelligence agency spokesman Andrii Yusov said on national television: “Nuclear blackmail is a common practice of the Putin regime; “It’s not big news.”

Western officials have blamed Russia for threatening a broader war through provocative acts. NATO countries said last week they were deeply concerned about a campaign of hybrid activities on the military alliance’s territory, accusing Moscow of being behind them and saying they represent a security threat.

Peskov dismissed those claims as “new and unfounded accusations directed at our country.”

Germany said on Monday it had recalled its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations in Berlin after an alleged hacking attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones attacked two vehicles on Monday in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing six people and wounding 35 others, including two children, local authorities said. The area has been attacked by kyiv forces in recent months.

One of the vehicles was a minibus carrying agricultural workers, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.