NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the military to hold nuclear weapons drills , said the the defence ministry . The drill order also includes the navy and troops based near Ukraine .
The Russian President has stepped up its nuclear rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began two years ago, warning in his address to the nation in February there was a "real" risk of nuclear war.
"During the exercise, a set of measures will be taken to practise the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons ," the defence ministry said.
The ministry said the exercises would take place "in the near future" and were aimed at ensuring Russia's territorial integrity in the face of "threats by certain Western officials".
In the exercise, aircraft and naval forces will take part, including the troops from the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine.
Western officials have become increasingly alarmed by the Kremlin's nuclear threat during the offensive in Ukraine, with Putin frequently invoking Russia's nuclear doctrine.
Non-strategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for use on the battlefield and can be delivered via missiles.
Last year Russia ditched its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and pulled out of a key arms reduction agreement with the United States.
Russia and the United States are the world's biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world's 12,100 nuclear warheads.
China has the third largest nuclear arsenal, followed by France and Britain.
Putin casts the war as part of a centuries-old battle with the West which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by enlarging Nato and encroaching on what Moscow considers to be Russia's historical sphere of influence.
Ukraine and its Western supporters say the war is an imperial-style land grab by a corrupt dictatorship.
Western leaders have vowed to work for a defeat of Russian forces in Ukraine, while ruling out any deployment of Nato personnel there.
(With agencies input)
The Russian President has stepped up its nuclear rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began two years ago, warning in his address to the nation in February there was a "real" risk of nuclear war.
"During the exercise, a set of measures will be taken to practise the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons ," the defence ministry said.
The ministry said the exercises would take place "in the near future" and were aimed at ensuring Russia's territorial integrity in the face of "threats by certain Western officials".
In the exercise, aircraft and naval forces will take part, including the troops from the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine.
Western officials have become increasingly alarmed by the Kremlin's nuclear threat during the offensive in Ukraine, with Putin frequently invoking Russia's nuclear doctrine.
Non-strategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for use on the battlefield and can be delivered via missiles.
Last year Russia ditched its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and pulled out of a key arms reduction agreement with the United States.
Russia and the United States are the world's biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world's 12,100 nuclear warheads.
China has the third largest nuclear arsenal, followed by France and Britain.
Putin casts the war as part of a centuries-old battle with the West which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by enlarging Nato and encroaching on what Moscow considers to be Russia's historical sphere of influence.
Ukraine and its Western supporters say the war is an imperial-style land grab by a corrupt dictatorship.
Western leaders have vowed to work for a defeat of Russian forces in Ukraine, while ruling out any deployment of Nato personnel there.
(With agencies input)
