Russia Flaunts Nuclear Weapons on State TV

A Russian television host flaunted his country's nuclear weapons during a segment on state TV, as Russia carries out tactical nuclear weapons drills near the Ukraine border.

Dmitry Kiselyov, an anchor on state-run Russia-1 TV and Kremlin propagandist, showed footage of Russian forces deploying the weapons on his Vesti Nedeli segment.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin this month ordered the military drills in response to what the Kremlin has described as provocative statements and threats from the West.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the exercises are aimed at "maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons" and ensuring the nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty "in response to provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials against the Russian Federation."

"During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons," the defense ministry said.

Russia issued the statement after U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron suggested allowing Ukraine to use British weapons for strikes on Russian soil, and after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested sending NATO troops to Ukraine.

During his state TV program, Kiselyov showed videos released by the Russian defense ministry.

One clip showed Russian forces with an Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile system. Another showed a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber and a MiG-31 jet equipped with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on May 21 that the first stage of the drills had started involving the "practical testing of the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons" in the Southern Military District.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned Cameron's remarks as "dangerous," saying that they were an example of "verbal escalation" that could threaten European security.

"These are direct escalations of tension around the Ukrainian conflict, which potentially may pose a danger to European security, to the entire security architecture of Europe," Peskov said. "This is part of a dangerous trend of escalating tension through official statements, and is the cause for our concern."

Putin said in September 2022 that Russia would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its "territorial integrity," adding that "this is not a bluff."

During his annual state-of-the-nation address in Moscow on February 29, the Russian leader said that his "strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness."

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