Russia rattles nuclear saber, orders tactical nuke drills

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a candle in church

"Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin's regime"

(Image credit: Contributor / Getty Images)

published 7 May 2024

What happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin, inaugurated to a fifth presidential term Tuesday, ordered Russia's military to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield, or tactical, nuclear weapons, the Kremlin said Monday. Russia's Defense Ministry said "provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials" prompted the exercises, citing comments from British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and French President Emmanuel Macron regarding aid to Ukraine.

If Ukraine uses British weapons to strike inside Russia, as Cameron endorsed, Russia could strike British military facilities inside or outside Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. And Macron's suggestion that French troops could fight alongside Ukraine is a "completely new round of escalation of tension" requiring "special measures." White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said "it's just reckless and irresponsible for a leader of a major nuclear armed power to be 'saber rattling'" that way. "Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin's regime," Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said. "It does not constitute major news."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.