Russia’s military conducted a simulated nuclear strike in a drill Wednesday overseen by President Vladimir Putin, hours after the upper house of parliament voted to rescind the country’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban.
The bill to end ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, approved in the lower house last week, will now be sent to Putin for final approval. Putin has said that revoking Russia’s 2000 ratification would “mirror” the stance of the U.S., which signed but did not ratify the nuclear test ban.
State television showed Putin directing the exercise via video call with top military officials.
Russia’s Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said the purpose of the drills is to practice “dealing a massive nuclear strike with strategic offensive forces in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Putin has said that revoking Russia’s 2000 ratification would “mirror” the stance of the U.S., which signed but did not ratify the nuclear test ban.
While similar drills are held every autumn, Shoigu’s pointed comments came amid soaring tensions between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine.
There are widespread concerns that Russia could move to resume nuclear tests to try to discourage the West from continuing to offer military support to Ukraine.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier this month that Moscow will continue to respect the ban and will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does it first.
Ryabkov said Wednesday that the Russian Foreign Ministry had received U.S. proposals to resume a dialogue on strategic stability and arms control issues, but noted that Moscow doesn’t consider it possible in the current political environment.
“We aren’t ready for it because the return to a dialogue on strategic stability … as it was conducted in the past is impossible until the U.S. revises its deeply hostile policy course in relation to Russia,” Ryabkov told reporters in comments carried by Russian news agencies.
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Russia’s saber rattling has gotten embarrassing. All they have left is to prattle about nukes and meaningless red lines, meanwhile they are losing massive quantities of troops and equipment against a country much smaller than them. Here are just the visually confirmed Russian losses in Ukraine. Every single one of the thousands of tanks and vehicles destroyed has it’s own picture or video. Click them. It’s mind-boggling.
actually use one…
Never going to happen.
While the Ukraine war is destroying the Russian military and economy, those in power are still living a pretty sweet existence and are not touched by any of it.
But they are smart enough to know that if they push the big red button, their cushy lives and those of their families are over.
Simulate as in when it’s over they go back to their cushy jobs, then leave their standing office, drive down the lit and controlled streets to their houses.
Actual nuclear strike is none of the above.
Get fucked Russian war machine.
I get a little hate for saying so, but I really think Russia’s nuclear saber rattling is always so intense because they’ve never nuked anyone. Nobody believes them.
We nuked Nagasaki for no strategic or tactical reason. It was essentially a “twice for flinching” situation. Not to mention the last president wanted to nuke some bad weather. What a prick.
We Americans have a shitload of problems, but we don’t need to threaten nuking anyone. You know we want to. So the Russians have to work hard to catch up in terms of the Madman Theory.
I have a different theory. Russia’s nuclear saber rattling exists because it is basically all they have to feel powerful. Their economy is a joke, they have no real cultural influence in the wider world.
It is like Nth Korea, they both threaten to launch the nukes to feel powerful while no one in the wider world really gives a shit.
Yes, the US launched nukes in WW2 but the big difference is that no one else had them at the time.
Now that half a dozen nations do, all you can do with them is threaten because the implication is that any launch of nukes will be answered with a counter launch. Russia cannot use them as they will be wiped out if they do.
You’re right that the game is different now. Where I differ is that I try not to think of nations as having feelings. Nations have interests, not feelings.
Nations have interests, not feelings.
Nations are run by people, who do have feelings.
If Putin was not in charge, getting old, and wanting to leave a legacy, would Russia have invaded Ukraine?
One of the main reasons the China - Taiwan situation is heating up is that Xi wants to cement his legacy alongside Mao and he is also getting very old.
The USA invaded Iraq for no other reason that Bush wanted to finish what his daddy had started. They had nothing to do with 9/11.
The UK launched the defence of the Falkland Islands because Maggie Thatcher wanted it. There was zero economic or military benefit in doing so.
Etc
etc
etc.
Might as well simulate blowing their own brains out then because that’s what a nuclear strike is in this case: a really, really horrible mass murder/suicide.
