Russia might be storing up to 100 nuclear warheads in Kaliningrad Oblast, located approximately 260 km (160 miles) from Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski claimed on June 11, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.
The latest drills will see Russian and Belarusian forces working on training "for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons", the Russian Defense Ministry said on June 11.
Two years ago, I outlined eight lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine. And though I warned that it was too early to be confident about any predictions, they have held up reasonably well. When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he envisaged a
Belarus will participate in the second stage of Russian drills simulating the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced on June 10.
The United States may have to increase its deployment of strategic nuclear weapons amid growing threats from China, Russia, and other adversaries, a White House official said on June 7.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the Kremlin has sought to play the nuclear card – both to frighten Ukraine and to deter the West from assisting. Kyiv and its partners cannot ignore Moscow’s nuclear threats, but they should understand that the Russian leadership does not
Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in Uzbekistan's capital on May 26 to hold discussions with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations.
"The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn't kill anybody, we will hit all your targets (positions) in Ukraine with conventional weapons, we’ll destroy all of them," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the Guardian.
During his visit to Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to discuss the participation of the Belarusian military in Russia's non-strategic nuclear drills, the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported on May 24.
The first stage of the drills will begin with the "combat use" of Iskander and Kinzhal ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, equipping their launch, and "covertly advancing to the designated position in preparation for missile launches."
The officials said that Russia had launched a satellite into space in February 2022 to test components for a potential anti-satellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device. However, the satellite that was launched doesn’t carry a nuclear weapon, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"A unit of Iskander operational-tactical system and a squadron of Su-25 aircraft are being prepared to carry out their intended tasks," Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.
"This is an example of the kind of irresponsible rhetoric that we've seen from Russia in the past. It's completely inappropriate given the current security situation," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters.
The purpose of the exercises is to "maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment" to "unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"It should have been first consulted with the government, not to just come out and say: we want nuclear arms on our territory," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said.
Identified only as Thomas H., the 54-year-old went on trial in Dusseldorf on April 29 charged with conducting espionage on behalf of Moscow and leaking state secrets.
Speaking on April 24, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., described Russia's veto as "baffling."
Speaking to Fakt, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted how Russia has already taken similar steps with its own allies, having transferred tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus last year.
Ukraine is among the countries whose residents have the lowest level of fear of a nuclear threat, according to a survey by the Sociological Group Rating conducted in 2023 together with Gallup International and published on April 17.
The Institute for Strategic Studies of the Military School (IRSEM) and the General Directorate for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS) surveyed 2,300 young people aged between 18 and 25 last summer.
Key developments on March 9-10: * CNN: US prepared 'rigorously' for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in 2022 * UK, Italy oppose deploying Western troops to Ukraine * UK Defense Ministry: Ukraine increasing fortifications along the front line * Zelensky denounces Pope Francis' proposal to negotiate peace with Russia * Air Force: Ukraine downs
Washington was "preparing rigorously" for a possible Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, which would have been the first nuclear attack in a war since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 bombings, CNN reported on March 9, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.
There will be "tragic consequences" if NATO troops are sent to Ukraine, and the West's support for Kyiv "risks a conflict using nuclear weapons," Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during a two-hour State of the Nation address on Feb. 29.
Leaked Russian military documents outline Russia's doctrine for tactical nuclear weapons use, including the minimum criteria for using tactical nuclear weapons, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Feb. 28.
The U.S. has told allies that Moscow could deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon or a mock warhead into space as early as this year, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 20, citing unnamed people familiar with the issue.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Feb. 15 that it is "not an active capability," echoing comments from American intelligence sources that the development does create an "urgent" threat to the U.S.
According to ABC News, Russia may want to use a nuclear weapon against satellites rather than drop it on the Earth. One of the media's sources called such reports "a big deal," which is "very concerning and very sensitive."
The Wagner Group’s aborted rebellion in June, coupled with the protracted war in Ukraine, has renewed fears about the security of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The risk of “loose nukes” or a vengeful leader going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but America must begin
At the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia is moving to undo its ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) that prohibits all nuclear weapons tests. This represents another step in the Kremlin’s effort to try to punish the United States and the West for their
MADRID – Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s weekend rebellion has shone a harsh spotlight on the apparently fragile state of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. While Prigozhin soon agreed to stand down, and ordered his mercenary army to halt its advance on Moscow, the warlord-led uprising highlights, yet again,
OSLO – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has elevated global nuclear tensions to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War. Absent any signs of responsible leadership from Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is incumbent on the leaders of other nuclear-armed countries to take practical and prompt action
When the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty in July 1990 to gain greater rights and freedoms within the Soviet Union, ridding the country of its nuclear weapons was one of its top priorities. Ukraine had just suffered enormously from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident in
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