Escalating Russian Tactical Nuclear Drills Now Include Forces Involved in Ukraine War

The Russian defense ministry announced on Wednesday that it has launched the third stage of drills focusing on the use of tactical nuclear weapons, which also involves forces currently engaged in its so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“The third stage of non-strategic nuclear forces exercises has begun,” the statement read.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the exercises in early May, apparently in response to what he perceived threats as made by Western nations, particularly after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine.

Today’s announcement said that the exercises were taking place in Russia’s central and southern military districts.

Moscow’s Southern Military District serves as the command center for its offensive in Ukraine. Headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, just 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the district also encompasses areas of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed, including Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, despite occupying only part of them.

This phase of drills includes training for military personnel on the Iskander-M missile systems and various aircraft and will involve receiving “special ammunition” and equipping missile systems and aircraft.

Since start of the following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has frequently mentioned the potential use of nuclear weapons. In the summer of 2023, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons to its ally Belarus, which directly borders Ukraine.

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In May, Minsk announced joint military drills with Moscow’s forces to verify its ability to handle tactical nuclear weapons launchers.

Early on Wednesday, July 31, Russia carried out one of the largest kamikaze drone attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war, with Kyiv as the primary target. According to Ukrainian officials, two waves made up of more than four dozen UAVs were shot down over Kyiv and its approaches.

The Kyiv City State Administration reported that nearly 11,500 people took shelter in subway stations during the massive attack.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia’s early morning attack used a Kh-59 guided missile launched from the airspace of the partly occupied Kherson region and 89 Shahed-type strike UAVs flying from Russian locations including Yeisk, Seshcha, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

This huge attack was comparable to the New Year's attack on January 1, 2024, when over an 11-hour period Russia launched 90 drones, one Kh-59, four S-300, and three Kh-31P killing at least 20 civilians. However, all drones and the Kh-59 missile fired at Ukraine today were downed, with no casualties being reported.