Close to Ukraine

Putin orders nuclear exercises with soldiers

The General Staff of the Russian Ministry of Defense has begun preparations for exercises on behalf of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin "to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions".

The Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that this was due to provocative threats from the West. The military exercises also included the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. Units of the Southern Military Command and the naval forces would take part. The exercises would take place "soon", it was assured.

FT: Russia's inhibition threshold for nuclear weapons lower than expected
At the end of February, the Financial Times reported that secret documents on Russian tactical nuclear weapons had been leaked. The British daily newspaper stated that the threshold for their use by Russia was significantly lower than officially claimed by the Russian authorities.

For example, the military could use tactical nuclear weapons in the event of an invasion by Chinese troops or to "deter states from aggression". Moscow could also resort to this means to prevent an escalation of military conflicts.

Macron does not rule out the deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is adamant that the deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine cannot be ruled out. The politician warns that this would be wrong, particularly in terms of deterring Russia. "We were undoubtedly too hesitant when we formulated the limits of our action against someone who no longer has any and who is the aggressor," he continued. Macron also emphasized that it was also a matter of not revealing everything that one would or would not do. Otherwise, the Western states would only weaken themselves.

No end to the war in sight
The US Director of National Intelligence considers it unlikely that the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine will end soon. Russia will probably continue its aggressive tactics, says Avril Haines before the Senate Armed Services Committee. It has stepped up its attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure in order to prevent the government in Kiev from moving weapons and troops to the front. In addition, arms production is to be hindered.

Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than two years. Due to faltering supplies of ammunition and weapons, but also increasingly due to a lack of soldiers, the defenders have found themselves on the defensive over the past six months.