Russia conducts second stage of non-strategic nuclear force exercises
Pravda Ukraine
Russia has launched the second stage of exercises involving the use of non-strategic nuclear forces, during which Russian and Belarusian military personnel will practise preparing for the combat use of such weapons.
Source: Russian Ministry of Defence on Telegram
Quote: “The second stage of the training of non-strategic nuclear forces has begun. The exercise will focus on joint training of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
The exercises are aimed at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of the units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and Belarus in order to unconditionally ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Union State.” [The Union State, or Union State of Russia and Belarus, is a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia, with the stated aim of deepening the relationship between the two states through integration in economic and defence policy – ed.]
Details: It is reported that during the first stage of the exercises, which took place in late May, the personnel of the missile units of the Southern Military District practised “the task of obtaining special training ammunition for the Iskander tactical missile system, equipping them with launch vehicles and secretly moving to the designated position area to prepare for missile launches”.
Personnel from Russian Aerospace Forces aviation units practised equipping aircraft weapons, in particular Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles, and flying to the designated patrol areas.
Background:
- On 6 May, the Ministry of Defence of Russia announced that it would “soon” conduct exercises involving the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons on the orders of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.
- Russian military personnel claim that the exercises are supposedly necessary to respond to “provocative statements and threats from certain Western officials directed at the Russian Federation”.
- On 10 June, Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin stated that his country had participated in the second stage of Russian military drills on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
- Earlier, Belarus approved a new military doctrine that, for the first time, provides for the use of nuclear weapons. Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons are known to be deployed on Belarusian territory under an agreement between Minsk and Moscow.
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