Russia to Hold Military Drill to Boost Nuclear Readiness

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its country has begun preparations to hold a military exercise to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions.

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The drill will be held in the near future with missile formations of the Southern Military District and aviation and navy troops. During the exercise, activities will be carried out to practice the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.

"The exercise is aimed at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons in order to unconditionally ensure Russia's territorial integrity and sovereignty in response to provocative statements and threats from Western officials," the Defense Ministry explained.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills in response to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who appears to be interested in elevating the Ukrainian conflict to a higher level of regional risk.

“Exercises using this kind of ammunition were last conducted during the Soviet period. Therefore, it’s necessary to carry out drills so that those who would have to use them know how to handle and use these weapons,” military observer Alexei Leonkov said, as reported by Sputnik.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed that the new military exercises are related to Macron's statements, which he described as dangerous.

"This is a new unprecedented escalation of tension that requires special attention and measures," he said.

Previously, in an interview with The Economist published on May 2, Macron opened the possibility of deploying Western troops in Ukraine to combat the Russian army.