Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials

AP ^ | May 6, 2024

[McGruff]

Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine.

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

It was the first time that Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, though its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons have a lower yield compared to massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles intended to obliterate entire cities.

The announcement appeared to be a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies about becoming more deeply involved in the more than two-year war. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern about stoking the war amid fears it could spill beyond Ukraine and into a conflict between NATO and Russia.

[hillarys cankles]

Still an awful lot of people who are willing to take us to the brink of all out nuclear war. It’s very disturbing.

[SaveFerris]

Used to be 30-45 minutes - gives Joe time to get a few scoops from the fridge

Except a sub-launched off the coast at 12 miles out......at today’s speeds.....

[Red Badger]

They see no difference between being obliterated in a nuclear holocaust and spending the rest of their lives in federal prison.............

[SaveFerris]

Yep

and

Yep

[bert]

You assume they have such missiles that actually work

The evidence is that the Russian arms don’t meet expectations and can not be countered

[Wuli]

Putin thinks his saber rattling will work - it won’t.

[McGruff]

RT @RT_com

⚡️UK & French ambassadors summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry

9:24 AM · May 6, 2024

[JadeEmperor]

>> You assume they have such missiles that actually work

>> The evidence is that the Russian arms don’t meet
>> expectations and can not be countered

Well, their X-101, Kalibr and Iskander ballistics appear to mostly work, otherwise Ukraine wouldn’t be begging for air defenses all over the West. Enough are getting through to cause serious problems with the energy infrastructure. Maybe as high as 20% failure rate (initially in the opening phase of the war) but then they ramped up production. Haven’t heard about their munitions failing lately.

Why would anyone make a stupid bet that their nukes or delivery systems mostly don’t work? If anything, after they have gone on war footing, their readiness is greater now than it was on February 23, 2022.

[JadeEmperor]

>> Except a sub-launched off the coast at 12 miles out.

Nothing strategic hangs out off the East Coast since the 70’s.

Sov... err, Russian boomer subs hang out in “naval bastions” in the Barents sea where they are protected against ASW by the friendly assets. Their SLBMS can be launched from the dock, if need be, they don’t need to be anywhere close to the CONUS to work.

Theoritically you can sneak a fast attack sub or two and launch pinpoint attacks against choice targets with cruise missiles, but why? That would be a sting that wakes the sleeping giant.

[SaveFerris]

(Nothing strategic hangs out off the East Coast since the 70’s.))

Yep

Only to decapitate politically but certainly not militarily

[ansel12]

If Russia starts using nukes to help its invasions then the worlds reaction would be extraordinarily negative for Russia

[ansel12]

We don’t have my old tactical nuke 155 shells but we do still have tactical nukes, and other weapons that serve the same purpose of being able to eliminate Russian massed troops.

“The United States currently maintains a tactical nuclear arsenal of roughly 500 B61 “dial-a-yield” gravity bombs, including three tactical versions: the B61-3, -4, and -10, which can be fused for a number of yields between 0.3 to 170 kilotons.”
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018/april/tactical-nuclear-weapons-are-back#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20currently%20maintains,between%200.3%20to%20170%20kilotons.

[elpadre]

France is sending the Foreign Legion to the front lines in Ukraine. Their claim is that only the officers are French The rest are foreign. and many of the troops are Ukrainian and Russian. That should prove to be interesting.

[sarge83]

Now you know the highly professional and NEVER EVER wrong deep state and the warmongers with their CNC BiteMe, the greatest CNC since Reagan, Ike and George Washington, would not allow that to happen. These people are just so brilliant and professional they would never screw up and drag us into a full blown nuclear exchange with 100 million American dead or dying over a corrupt shithole that isn’t even a member of NATO. But hey if they can finally refight the Cold War and end it with destroying the world instead of a victorious peace like Reagan did, the warmongers can rest peacefully that day in the rubble, radiation and death knowing they beat the Russians the right way this time! /s...