Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military forces to conduct tactical nuclear weapon deployment drills as a warning to Western nations.
On Monday, Russia said it would practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons.
The move is part of a military exercise that Moscow said it was forced to conduct following “threats” from France, Britain, and the United States.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has repeatedly warned of rising nuclear risks.
However, the United States warns those threats must be taken seriously, despite U.S. officials saying they have seen no change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
Russia says the United States and its European allies are pushing the world to the brink of confrontation between nuclear powers by supporting Ukraine with tens of billions of tax dollars worth of weapons.
Moscow argues that some of those weapons are being used against Russian territory.
Russia’s defence ministry said it would hold military drills including practice for the preparation and deployment for use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
It said President Putin ordered the exercises, the ministry confirmed.
“During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear