Putin orders military to practice tactical NUKE strike as Kremlin official warns of 'world catastrophe' if NATO troops are sent to Ukraine

Putin orders military to practice tactical NUKE strike as Kremlin official warns of 'world catastrophe' if NATO troops are sent to Ukraine

James Reynolds

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops based near Ukraine to practice nuclear weapons scenarios in a bid to 'deter' adversaries following perceived threats of escalation from Western leaders.

Military drills in the undisclosed 'near future' will include practice for the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons, Russia's defence ministry claimed.

The ministry said today the exercises would be carried out 'in response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation', the Kremlin citing threats to deploy troops in Ukraine.

'It's obvious we are talking about statements from Mr. Macron and statements from British representatives,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked by reporters what had prompted the drills, adding: 'This is a completely new round of escalating tensions. It is unprecedented and requires special measures.' 

A Russian diplomat today said Moscow would have to increase its entire missile arsenal as a deterrent following what was framed as the worst breakdown in relations since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

'We are now at the stage of open confrontation, which, I hope, will not result in a direct armed conflict,' Russian Ambassador-at-Large Grigory Mashkov told the state RIA news agency.

Mashkov added that it will now be necessary to take 'further steps to strengthen the country's defense capability, including building up the missile arsenal, in order to discourage any potential enemy from testing Russia's strength.' 

He added that Russia was already doing a lot in this area but that more was needed given what he said was the growing threat from the West and the technological advances in most types of missiles, from tactical to inter-continental. 

Ramping up drills, Putin reportedly told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to prepare missile firing exercises in the near future 'in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfil combat missions'.

Troops from the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine and includes the occupied Ukrainian territories will take part in the drills, the ministry said.

Close Putin ally and former President Dmitry Medvedev said today on Telegram that 'the number of scoundrels among the Western political elite calling for sending their troops to a non-existent country is expanding'.

'Now it includes representatives of the US Congress, French and British leadership, and individual madmen from the Baltic states and Poland...'

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