Russia on Wednesday said it had carried out simulated nuclear missile strikes near a region between Poland and Lithuania, according to a report.
The Moscow Times wrote that the Russian Defense Ministry released a statement saying its forces carried out the attacks in a western part of Kaliningrad province. Kaliningrad is a small Russian enclave separated from mainland Russia. It lies on the Baltic Sea and borders on the EU states of Poland and Lithuania.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his military attack on Ukraine on February 24, he and other Russian officials have issued statements threatening retaliatory strikes against countries interfering in his war. Since the invasion, Putin has also been at odds with Poland and other EU countries. Last week, Russia halted natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria due to the countries’ support for Ukraine.
Russia’s nuclear-capable Iskander mobile ballistic missile system went through a series of electronic launches during Wednesday’s simulation without actually firing missiles, according to the Times. The news website also wrote the Defense Ministry’s statement that Russian forces in Kaliningrad also conducted various types of attacks on targets modeled after enemy airfields, military equipment and command posts.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had carried out a simulated nuclear strike in a region near the border of two EU countries. Above: On September 22, 2020, a Russian missile launches from a missile system at the Ashuluk military base in southern Russia. Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
The Times reported in the State Department statement that units participating in the exercise also practiced “actions under conditions of radiation and chemical contamination.” The outlet also stated that more than 100 soldiers are said to have participated in the simulation.
Putin put Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after the attacks in Ukraine began, saying “aggressive statements” from NATO and tough financial sanctions justified him in issuing the directive.
During a May 1 appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey warned of the increasing threat to Russia from the use of nuclear weapons as Putin’s troops in Ukraine continue to take casualties.
“Well, ironically, one of my concerns is that the more success Ukrainians have, the greater the risk that Putin will do something because he’s losing and he has to save face at home,” said Menendez, who serves as chairman of the National Committee on Senate foreign relations, host Bret Baier said. “And so the potential of a chemical, biological, or tactical nuclear weapon can grow as a result.”
During a speech last week, President Joe Biden downplayed recent comments by Russian officials threatening war with the US and NATO, calling such rhetoric a sign of the “despair Russia feels at their abject failure.”
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.