Norway says Russian warships go on missions with nuclear weapons on board

Warships of Russian Northern Fleet go to sea with nuclear weapons on board

Warships of the Russian Northern Fleet started going to sea with tactical nuclear weapons on board for the first time in 30 years, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) said in its annual report.

During the Soviet times, warships of the Northern Fleet would regularly go to sea carrying tactical nuclear weapons, the report said. However, no such cases have been reported since the Cold War. 

At the same time, after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the importance of nuclear weapons for Russia has increased significantly, the report said. 

Norwegian intelligence also said that submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet play the central role in the Russian nuclear potential. 

It was also reported that the Swedish Ministry of Defence took "a number of measures" to prepare for a possible nuclear attack from Russia. Mikael Klasson, Chief of Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces, said that Russia had an "unpleasant habit of doing what she says."

In December, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's nuclear weapons played the role of a serious deterrent factor. Moscow is aware of all responsibility in possessing nuclear weapons and is not going to brandish them, he said.

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Author`s name Petr Ermilin
Editor Dmitry Sudakov
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