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The exercises, which were monitored by President Vladimir Putin, included missile launches and the mobilization of nuclear bombers and submarines. The maneuvers took place amid Western warnings to Moscow about the use of such weapons in the context of the invasion and the Kremlin’s denunciations of the use of a “dirty bomb” by kyiv.
Under the aegis of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, Moscow’s “strategic” forces carried out an exercise on October 26 to test their nuclear capabilities, but also to show muscle, as a deterrent message to the enemy.
According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s statement to the president, the maneuvers involved the “launching of a massive nuclear attack by the strategic offensive forces in response to a similar attack” by the enemy.
“Thunder” was the name of the operation that involved submarines capable of this type of weaponry, TU-95 strategic bombers and the test launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles from sea and land.
Putin personally underlined the “risks” that exist on the development of a conflict. “There are new risks and challenges to our collective security,” he pointed out. And it is that the statements he made in the context of a meeting of intelligence officials of the former Soviet nations. According to the chief of the Russian Army General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, the maneuvers were a “success”.
An essay amid warnings
The day before, the Pentagon announced that the Kremlin notified it of its intention to carry out this type of maneuver, just at the moment that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is carrying out its own drills to also test its nuclear capabilities.
According to Reuters, citing Washington, the notification reduced the risk of miscalculation at a time when Russia is using “reckless” nuclear rhetoric. The NATO exercise, called “Steadfast Noon”, will take place until October 30 with US atomic capabilities based in Europe.
Both exercises take place in a complex context. The fact that the Russian strategy on the Ukrainian terrain does not go as planned by the Kremlin, the West fears that Moscow will use superior weaponry in Ukraine as a strategy to tip a balance that has not been of benefit to Russia.
In this sense, the Russian accusations about the probable detonation of a ‘dirty bomb’ by kyiv in its territory are added. An accusation that Ukraine and its Western allies deny, describing the counterpart’s claims as a false flag operation to escalate the conflict.
“A Serious Mistake”
In this sense, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, issued a warning to his Russian counterpart: “I do not guarantee that it is a false flag operation yet, I do not know, but it would be a serious, serious mistake,” he emphasized in answering the question of a journalist.
Earlier, Biden had stressed that “Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it used a tactical nuclear weapon.” Thus, the president drew a red line to his Russian counterpart in terms of the use of these capabilities.
This happened while Russia brought before the UN Security Council a complaint about the possible detonation of a non-nuclear bomb, but with radioactive content. The issue was raised in a letter to the director of the international organization and later debated behind closed doors by the international security entity.
The issue was also raised by Sergei Shoigu through phone calls with several of his Western counterparts, who regard the matter as a farce.
In other reactions, the secretary general of NATO. Jens Stoltenberg addressed the issue more directly. “President Putin’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and is reckless and irresponsible. Any use of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine will fundamentally change the nature of the conflict,” he said.
The statements were made during a visit to the US aircraft carrier George HW Bush. “So far we have not seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture,” Stoltenberg concluded, “we monitor it very closely and we are vigilant and ready to act if necessary,” he concluded.
with Reuters
