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

Russian media outlets are abuzz with reports that Vladimir Putin has directed the Defense Ministry to conduct drills aimed at bolstering the preparedness of non-strategic nuclear forces, against the backdrop of escalating tensions between NATO and Moscow. Putin's directive entails exercises focusing on the utilization of non-strategic nuclear weaponry—commonly referred to as tactical nukes. 

The Ministry, acting on the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, is gearing up for these maneuvers, which will involve missile units from the Southern Military District, complemented by aviation and naval units. While the Defense Ministry is slated to execute exercises to assess the deployment of non-strategic nuclear arms, it's improbable that these drills will feature the actual detonation of tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin's decision to rescind Russian ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in November 2023, underlining the US's failure to ratify the accord, sets the backdrop for this move. The Defense Ministry asserts that the forthcoming exercises encompass all military branches—aviation, naval, and ground forces—as a retort to "provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials" directed at Moscow. Putin has emphatically underscored Russia's willingness to wield nuclear arms in defense of its sovereignty and independence, a sentiment reiterated since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

In his recent state-of-the-nation address, Putin cautioned the West against escalating its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, warning of the peril of nuclear confrontation. When questioned in a televised interview about the potential use of battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Putin dismissed the notion, emphasizing the absence of necessity. 

He expressed confidence in President Joe Biden's astuteness as a seasoned statesman cognizant of the perils of escalation, suggesting that the world is not inexorably hurtling towards nuclear warfare.