Russia begins a tactical nuclear weapons drill

Russian military has begun practicing how to use small nuclear weapons, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

President Putin told his soldiers to practice earlier this month. Moscow says that Western officials made strong statements that made Russia feel less safe.

The Foreign Ministry of Russia mentioned that the French President and the British Foreign Secretary are talking about sending troops and using weapons to fight Russia in Ukraine.

Security experts believe that the exercise is a way for Putin to send a warning to the West and prevent them from getting more involved in the war in Ukraine. The West has given weapons and information to Kyiv, but has not sent soldiers.

The military said they used Iskander and Kinzhal missiles in the first part of the exercise.

It is meant to make sure that the units and equipment are ready to use non-strategic nuclear weapons to protect Russia from threats made by Western officials.

The practice involves the use of missiles in the southern part of Russia, close to Ukraine. This area also includes parts of Ukraine that are under Russia’s control.

Belarus and Russia both said they will be part of the military exercises. Russia said they will be using tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last year.

Smaller nuclear weapons are not as strong as the big ones that can destroy entire cities, but they still have a lot of power to cause a lot of damage.