Russia steps up nuclear deterrent military maneuvers

Vladimir Putin at the ceremony to declare the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, in Moscow, September 30, 2022. SPUTNIK / REUTERS

Moscow would have carried out demonstrations of nuclear force, pushing NATO to alert its members. The Kremlin has denied and denounced Western “nuclear rhetoric”.

The nuclear pressure goes up another notch. A train, linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense in charge of nuclear, and a submarine carrying the Poseidon nuclear missile, were seen moving in Russia. Faced with an apparently significant escalation, NATO would have alerted its members and allies, according to The Times .

In its article, the British daily mentions the observations of Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst based in Poland. On his Twitter account, he posted a photo of a moving train, linked to the 12th unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense responsible for nuclear munitions, this Sunday, October 2. According to him, this unit would beresponsible for nuclear munitions, their storage, maintenance, transport and distribution“.

For the expert, several explanations are on the horizon:1) This could be a form of signal to the West that Moscow is stepping up. 2) Russian forces usually train intensively in the fall. 3) Russia could conduct a GROM strategic deterrence exercise in October, so this train could show readiness for this exercise“.

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“Nuclear Rhetoric”

In addition, NATO would have sent a report to its members and allies to alert them to Russia’s plans, according to the Italian daily La Repubblica . More particularly on the use of its nuclear-capable torpedo drone, the Poseidon, nicknamed “the weapon of the apocalypse“. If it will only be commissioned by the period 2025-2030, the Russian submarine K-329 Belgorod which will transport it has already been immersed in the Arctic seas and made operational last July. “We fear his mission is to test the super quiet Poseidon for the first time“wrote the newspaper.

Faced with these numerous accusations, the Kremlin insisted on retaliating. The Reuters news agency reported that Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov would have denied any military exercise, denouncing Western countries, at the origin of a “nuclear rhetoric“. “The Western media, Western politicians and heads of state are currently engaged in many exercises in nuclear rhetoric. We don’t want to participate in this“, he said.

Nuclear threats

These shows of force come after the Ukrainian army broke through the Russian defenses in the Kherson region, largely occupied by the Russians for seven months. During a ceremony in Moscow on Friday, September 30, Vladimir Putin ratified the annexation of four regions in eastern Ukraine: Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporijjia and Kherson.

In his offensive speech, the Russian president promised to defend these new lands “with all the forces and all the means at our disposal“. Which includes nuclear weapons. To justify himself, the head of the Kremlin accused the United States of having created “a previousby using atomic weapons to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Behind these threatening words, Vladimir Putin, who is chaining military defeats, seeks to thwart the advances of Ukrainian forces towards the East.

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