President of Russia Vladimir Putin has instructed his generals to conduct military exercises with tactical nuclear weapons. According to the Ministry of Defense of Russia, these measures have been undertaken in response to «provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials toward Russia.»
«To ensure non-strategic nuclear forces are ready for combat, the general staff has started preparations for military exercises with rocket divisions of the Southern Military District, air force and navy. The exercises will be conducted shortly,» the ministry said in a statement.
In late February, President of France Emmanuel Macron suggested that Western countries send their military to Ukraine. The White House almost immediately said it would not send American troops to Ukraine. Germany, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic have also distanced themselves from the initiative.
However, on May 6, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t rule out that the U.S. could find itself in a situation of a broader war and would be forced to send boots on the ground if Ukraine fell.
In March, CNN reported that U.S. authorities had been preparing for a potential Russian nuclear attack against Ukraine since late 2022, citing sources familiar with the matter. The New York Times reported similar information, citing its unidentified official in the White House.
According to the media outlet, the National Security Council even gathered on several occasions to prepare an emergency plan if there was a clear sign that «Russia is going to attack Ukraine with nuclear weapons.»
Last year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that Russia and the U.S. together control almost 90% of all nuclear weapons in the world. The U.S. and Russia have boosted the number of their deployed warheads from 1,744 to 1,770 and from 1,588 to 1,674, respectively. China has increased its nuclear arsenal from 350 warheads to 410.
France possesses 280 nuclear warheads, while the U.K. has 120. These numbers haven’t changed, SIPRI said. There are nine officially recognized nuclear powers: the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Israel.
