A Russian state TV host and Krelmin propagandist made a terifying claim about the country’s nuclear weapons amid ongoing drills and tensions with the West.
During a segment on Russia-1 TV, Dmitry Kiselyov showed footage of Russian forces deploying nuclear weapons, in videos released by the Russian Defence Ministry.
One of the shocking videos showed Russian troops with an Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile system, while another flaunted a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber and a MiG-31 jet equipped with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
This comes on the heels of Vladimir Putin ordering military drills near the Ukrainian border in response to what be perceived as provocative statements and threats from the West.
Last week, the first stage of the drills began, involving the “practical testing of the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons” in the Southern Military District, according to the defence ministry.
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It said the drills were for “maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons … in response to provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials against the Russian Federation.”
It added: “During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.”
In September 2022, seven months after the war in Ukraine began, Putin declared that his country would use nuclear weapons to defend its “territorial integrity”, warning that it “is not a bluff”.
This year, during his February State of the Nation Address, the president terrifyingly claimed that his “strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness“.