Vladimir Putin orders Russia 'to conduct tactical nuclear exercises' as WW3 fears explode

Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian Ministry of Defence to carry out exercises on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons - or tactical nukes - as tensions between Moscow and NATO explode.

Russian media quoted the Ministry as stating: "On instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions, the General Staff has begun preparations for holding exercises in the near future with missile formations of the Southern Military District with the involvement of aviation, as well as naval forces."

RIA claimed that the exercises would "conduct exercises to test the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons", however, the ambiguous wording makes it unclear if nuclear devices would be detonated in the manoeuvres.

In November 2023, Putin withdrew Russian ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty which prohibited Moscow from testing nuclear bombs citing the US's failure to ratify the treaty.

Russia's Defence Ministry claimed the new move would involve aviation and naval as well as ground forces and was aimed as a response to "provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials" towards Moscow.

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