The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in accordance with the order given by President Vladimir Putin, is preparing to conduct military exercises for missile formations, aviation and Navy forces.
Vladimir Putin, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, ordered to conduct the military exercises to test the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. The goal of the drills is to maintain the readiness of Russian personnel and equipment to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
The exercises will come in response to "provocative statements and threats that individual Western officials have made against the Russian Federation,” the Defence Ministry said.
In early May, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his readiness to send military personnel to Ukraine. According to Macron, one should not set limits on military support for Ukraine.
Macron said that many European countries agree with France's position on sending military forces to Ukraine.
Putin earlier said that the West declares Russia's intentions to attack Europe, but it is Western officials who choose targets to strike the Russian territory. They also discuss sending of NATO troops to Ukraine.
"Everything they are coming up with now, how they scare the whole world… all this may lead to a nuclear conflict that will destroy civilisation,” Putin warned.
Russia's strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness, Putin noted.
Tactical nuclear weapons are weapons of reduced power. They are used to destroy large targets and concentrations of enemy forces at the front and in the immediate rear. Tactical nuclear weapons can be made in the form of bombs, artillery shells, landmines, torpedoes, anti-aircraft missiles and short-range missiles. The power of a tactical nuclear weapon is usually measured as 200-300 tons of TNT.
Exercises with the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons are connected with statements that Western representatives have made about "readiness and even intention” to send troops to Ukraine.
"In fact, they want NATO soldiers to face the Russian military. This is a completely new round of escalation, it is unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.