The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it will postpone its test of intercontinental ballistic missiles Minuteman III, scheduled for this weekend in the midst of the Russian president Vladimir Putin‘s attack on Ukraine so he doesn’t “misunderstand” the move.
Defense Ministry spokesman John Kirby said the move was a demonstration of “restraint” as the Russian leader put his country’s nuclear forces on high alert and continued his attack on Ukraine.
“This is not a step back in our readiness,” he assured during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Kirby said at the beginning of the event: “I often come here and tell you what we have done both in terms of exercises and operations. Today I want to talk a little about something we will not do, and I want to explain why.
“Last weekend, as you saw, President Putin raised a special alert with Russia’s nuclear forces. Now, in this time of heightened tension, the United States and other members of the international community have rightly seen this as a dangerous and irresponsible and, as I said before, unnecessary step. “
“In an attempt to demonstrate that we have no intention of taking any action that may be misunderstood or misinterpreted, the Secretary of Defense has ordered that our test launch of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, scheduled for this week, be postponed,” he said.
“We did not take this decision lightly, but instead to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power,” Kirby added.
Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s major cities on Wednesday when Mariupol authorities said a “full-scale genocide” was under way as Putin’s men launched a 15-hour artillery shelling while Kharkiv was also subjected to heavy bombardment in the dark. what may come to be in the capital of Kyiv.
Ukraine’s emergency services estimate that 2,000 civilians have been killed so far during the Russian invasion, although that figure is likely to be underestimated, given that it does not take into account Wednesday’s figures.
Biden said essentially Monday that Americans should not worry about a nuclear war with Russia.
The Pentagon has canceled an intercontinental ballistic missile test to show “restraint” and avoid a “misunderstanding” with Russia. Pictured: The Air Force developed its military muscles in and air base in Japan on Tuesday, showing a fleet of more than two dozen fighter jets in an apparent effort to deter Chinese forces from invading Taiwan
Ukraine continues to take heavy attacks from Russia on Wednesday. Part of the Karazin National University campus in Kharkiv was destroyed after being hit by a Russian missile that appears to have been intended for a nearby police or interior ministry building
Ukrainian military says Russia has resumed its attack “on all fronts” today, with paratroopers landing in Kharkiv, tanks and trucks rushing to the center of Kherson and striking in Mariupol and Zhytomyr
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki later said the White House saw “no reason” to change its nuclear stance.
“We believe that provocative rhetoric like this is dangerous, increases the risk of miscalculations, should be avoided and we will not go into it,” Psaki said.
Putin explained that the “aggressive statements” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have made him strengthen his nuclear defenses.
“We appreciate President Putin’s directive and see no reason at the moment to change our own levels of anxiety.”
The move raised fears that an invasion of Ukraine could intentionally or wrongly lead to a global nuclear war.
Kirby said Monday that Putin already has three-quarters of his resources, 120,000 of the 160,000 troops stationed at the border in Ukraine.
Mariupol, located in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea, is surrounded by Russian forces and hit by artillery in an apparent attempt to bomb the city to obedience, while Putin’s people resort to “medieval” tactics. Sergei Orlov, the deputy mayor, said entire areas had been leveled with such heavy shelling that medics could not enter to retrieve the dead.
“We are close to a humanitarian catastrophe,” he said. “Russian forces are a few kilometers away on all sides,” he added. “The Ukrainian army is brave and they will continue to defend the city, but Russia is not fighting with its army, they are just destroying areas … We are in a terrible situation.”
Ruins can be seen on the streets of Kharkov after a Russian rocket hit the city in the early hours of Wednesday
Meanwhile, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, came under heavy shelling in the early hours as Russian troops tried to encircle and capture it after days of fighting – with a rocket hitting the university building and the police station in the early hours before the city council as well. hit, as one of the explosions was filmed in a dramatic video.
The bombing gives a grim taste to what is likely to come for other cities such as Kyiv, after analysts warned that the Russian military – after suffering heavy losses in trying to strike ambitious precision strikes – would likely resort to surrounding cities. bomb to submit to the force of bloody victory.
The delay in missile tests comes after the US Air Force deployed its military muscles on Tuesday at one of its air bases in Japan, demonstrating a fleet of more than two dozen warplanes in an apparent effort to deter Chinese forces from invading the self-governing island of Taiwan.
The demonstration of military power at Kadena Air Force Base, which officials called a “routine wing readiness exercise”, comes two days after President Joe Biden sent several former senior defense officials to the island nation in a show of support as many wonder if the invasion of Russia to Ukraine could provoke a Chinese invasion of the country.
Despite the delay in missile tests, the United States is still showing its military prowess in other ways. Air Force ships took part in Tuesday’s so-called Elephant Walk at Japan Air Force Base with an obvious step to stop China from taking over Russia’s leadership and invading Taiwan
The so-called “Elephant Walk” – a term referring to the taxiing of large numbers of military aircraft before take-off when they are in close formation – saw a group of two dozen F-15 fighters and a HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter over a billion dollars.
The fleet of jets is assigned to the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons, better known for their colloquial epithets of vampires and roosters, respectively. The helicopter belongs to the 33rd Rescue Squadron, which boasts the motto “That others can live.”
The formation also included a $ 50 million KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft assigned to the 909th Refueling Air Squadron, as well as a $ 270 million E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft assigned to 961 -a air squadron for air management.
The demonstration comes after months of growing and intensified Chinese aggression against Taiwan, including nine Chinese planes entering the nation’s airspace on Thursday, the day Russian troops invaded Ukraine.