Russia to hold simulated nuclear weapon exercises after heated Ukraine remarks 

Russia announced Monday it will hold military exercises that simulate the use of nuclear weapons after some Western officials suggested there could be more involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it will hold military drills practicing the use of tactical nuclear weapons, The Associated Press reported. The announcement comes one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony for his fifth term in office. 

The Defense Ministry said in a statement the military exercises are in response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” according to the AP. 

The news service noted this is the first time Russia announced military drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, which can include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions. Tactical nuclear weapons are different and not as powerful as strategic nuclear weapons, which include warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles. 

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, said recent statements from French and U.K. officials prompted the start of the nuclear drills, the AP reported.  

“It’s a new round of escalation,” Peskov said. “It’s unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures.”

Peskov previously denounced the recent statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron as “dangerous.” Macron did not rule out the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine in a recent interview, while Cameron recently said Ukraine could use British long-range missiles to hit Russian targets, according to AP.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, also confirmed on the social platform X that Russia will conduct the drills, again citing statements from Western officials.

“And this is why today the General Staff has started preparations for the military exercise that includes drills of preparation and use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons,” he wrote on X.

Despite Moscow’s nuclear saber rattling, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Monday said the U.S. has seen no change in Russia’s “strategic force posture,” calling the Kremlin’s announcement another instance of the country’s “irresponsible rhetoric.”

It’s “an example of the kind of irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen from Russia in the past,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.

Ellen Mitchell and The Associated Press contributed.

Updated: 12:41 p.m.