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On May 21, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared the beginning of the first stage of the previously announced exercises on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. They will be held in the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.
The Defense Ministry announced the exercises on May 6. They were launched by order of President Vladimir Putin. LINK
The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has launched the first stage of the exercises on the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons. The exercises involve the missile formations of the Southern Military District, as well as the aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces. During the exercises, missile forces work out the tasks of obtaining special ammunition for Iskander complexes and equipping launch vehicles with them, then moving to the designated position area for launching. Units of the aerospace forces are also practicing the deployment of special munitions, equipping them with aviation missiles, including the Dagger missiles, with subsequent departure to the patrol area.
The Russian Defense Ministry shared the footage of the ongoing exercises:
‘As previously reported by the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercise is aimed at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units of combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state in response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation,’ the Russian MoD reported.
The Southern Military District is located in the western part of the Russian Federation, next to the territories under the Ukrainian control. This is a clear sign to Kiev and NATO, who could watch the possible consequences of their policy aimed to escalate the conflict against Russia.
