The Defence Ministry of Russia declared on Monday that President Vladimir Putin has ordered an exercise for its tactical nuclear forces. The announcement, however, did not specify whether the missiles would be armed with nuclear warheads, consistent with previous exercises where Russia conducted nuclear forces training without live warheads.
The Defence Ministry in Moscow stated that the exercise would encompass a range of activities aimed at practicing the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
Details regarding the exact timing and location of the exercise, which involves the southern defence district and naval forces, were initially unclear.
For training and deterrence, the Russian military fired multiple cruise missiles and two intercontinental missiles in October. The drill was justified, it claimed, by "provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials against the Russian Federation." It had announced the exercise.
Russian diplomats have been fomenting concerns of a nuclear exchange in an attempt to gauge international support for Kyiv ever since the country's full-scale war began over two years ago.
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