On Monday, Russia said it might attack British military bases and will practice using nuclear weapons in a simulated battle. This is because tensions are getting worse over comments from Western officials about getting more involved in the war in Ukraine.
Moscow warned that if Ukraine uses British weapons to attack Russian territory, Russia may strike back at British military bases and equipment in Ukraine or other places.
The comments were made before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fifth term in office and before Moscow’s celebration of Victory Day, which is an important holiday that marks Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The drills are happening because certain Western officials have made threatening statements about Russia, according to the Defence Ministry.
This was the first time Russia publicly said they were practicing using small nuclear weapons, even though they regularly practice using their big nuclear weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons are small bombs that can be carried by planes or launched from short-range missiles and artillery. They are used in battles on the battlefield. They are not as strong as the big weapons that can destroy whole cities.
Russia said that Ukraine’s friends in the West should be careful about getting too involved in the war. Russia’s army is doing well in the war because Ukraine doesn’t have enough soldiers or weapons. Some of Ukraine’s friends in the West are worried that the fighting could spread from Ukraine and turn into a war between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said again last week that he might send soldiers to Ukraine, and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that Ukraine’s military can use British long-range weapons to attack targets in Russia. Some NATO countries giving weapons to Kyiv are unsure about doing that.
The Kremlin said those comments were dangerous and made tensions worse between Russia and NATO. The war has made the relationship between Moscow and the West very difficult.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, said Monday that Macron’s recent statement along with comments from British and US officials led to the nuclear drills.
“It’s getting worse,” Peskov said, talking about the Kremlin’s view of the made statements. “This has never happened before and needs extra attention and special actions. ”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry called for meetings with the ambassadors from France and Britain. It asked the British ambassador to consider the very bad results of the unfriendly actions from London.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said the nuclear tests make things less stable.
“In the current security situation, Russia is acting in a very irresponsible and dangerous way,” Billstrom told a news agency in Sweden.
Dmitry Medvedev, who is second in command at Russia’s Security Council led by Putin, said in a strong and aggressive way that the remarks from Macron and Cameron could cause a big disaster for the whole world.
Europe has supported Ukraine’s military before, and this caused threats of nuclear war. In March 2023, after the UK decided to send Ukraine special shells that can pierce armor and contain a type of uranium, Putin said he plans to put nuclear weapons in Belarus, which is next to Ukraine.
The government said the training is meant to make non-strategic nuclear forces more prepared for combat and is happening because Putin ordered it. The military will practice using missiles in the Southern Military District with the air force and navy.
In Ukraine, the Russian announcement didn’t cause much of a reaction. The spokesman for the Military Intelligence agency, Andrii Yusov, said on TV that Putin’s regime often uses nuclear threats, so this announcement isn’t surprising.
Western leaders say Russia is causing more problems by doing dangerous things that could start a bigger war. NATO countries are very worried about some sneaky activities happening on their land, and they think Russia is responsible for them. They believe these activities could be dangerous for their security.
Peskov said that those claims were “new, unfounded accusations against our country. ”
Germany said on Monday that it asked its ambassador to Russia to come back to Berlin for a week to talk about the alleged computer hack of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.
At the same time, drones from Ukraine attacked two vehicles in Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday. Six people were killed and 35 others were hurt, including two children, according to local officials. Kyiv’s forces have attacked the area in the past few months.
One of the cars was a small bus carrying farm workers in Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said something.
Ukraine’s army is stuck on a long front line because they don’t have enough troops and weapons. But they are still able to use their long-range weapons to attack targets far inside Russia.
In the ongoing fighting, Russia has been using a lot of long-range missiles, artillery, and drones to seriously harm Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s forces continued to attack Ukraine’s power grid, using drones to target the energy infrastructure in the northern region of Sumy. Several towns and villages in the area, such as Sumy, had no electricity, according to local government officials.
Russia used 13 Shahed drones to attack Ukraine last night. Ukraine’s air force managed to stop 12 of them in the Sumy region.