Moscow and NATO are both proceeding with nuclear exercises, even as tensions escalate over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use “all means available” — including atomic weapons — to defend land he claims to be Russian.
The drills come as Russia steps up its missile attacks on Ukraine, nearly eight months into its invasion and as its troops struggle to make headway on the ground. Putin has recently moved to annex parts of Ukraine, and is mobilizing as many as 300,000 Russian reservists.
The difficulties facing Russia’s military in Ukraine have raised concerns that Putin could yet resort to some sort of nuclear strike, although U.S. and European officials say they have detected no change in Moscow’s nuclear posture or any unusual movement of its atomic stocks.
