Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by about possibly deeper involvement in the
After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes on British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.
The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The drills are a response to 鈥減rovocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,鈥� the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
It was the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the strategic weapons 鈥� massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed concern that various parties have been talking about issues regarding nuclear weapons more and more recently.
鈥淐urrent nuclear risks are at an alarmingly high level,鈥� Dujarric said. 鈥淎ll actions that could lead to miscalculation, escalation with catastrophic consequences, must be avoided.鈥�
The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine鈥檚 Western allies about becoming more deeply engaged in the 2-year-old war, where the Kremlin's forces have gained an upper hand amid Ukraine's shortage of manpower and weapons. Some of Ukraine鈥檚 Western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine into a war between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he doesn鈥檛 exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv鈥檚 forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Some other NATO countries providing weapons to Kyiv have balked at that possibility.
The Kremlin branded those comments as dangerous, heightening tension between Russia and NATO. The war already has placed significant strain on relations between Moscow and the West.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Macron鈥檚 recent statement and other remarks by British and U.S. officials had prompted the nuclear drills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a new round of escalation,鈥� Peskov said, referring to what the Kremlin regarded as provocative statements. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures.鈥�
Russia鈥檚 Foreign Ministry summoned both the French and British ambassadors. It urged the British ambassador 鈥渢o think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London."
Sweden鈥檚 Foreign Minister Tobias Billstr枚m said the nuclear exercises 鈥渃ontribute to increasing instability.鈥�
鈥淚n the current security situation, Russia鈥檚 actions may be considered particularly irresponsible and reckless,鈥� Billstr枚m told Swedish news agency TT.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia鈥檚 Security Council that's chaired by Putin, said in his typically hawkish fashion that the comments by Macron and Cameron risked pushing the nuclear-armed world toward a 鈥済lobal catastrophe.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 the first time Europe鈥檚 military support for Ukraine has prompted nuclear saber-rattling. In March 2023, after the U.K.鈥檚 decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium, Putin said he intends to on the territory of Ukraine neighbor Belarus.
The ministry said the exercise is intended to 鈥渋ncrease the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to fulfill combat tasks鈥� and will be held on Putin鈥檚 orders. The maneuvers will involve missile units of the Southern Military District along with the air force and the navy, it said.
The Russian announcement stirred little reaction in Ukraine, where the spokesman for the Military Intelligence agency, Andrii Yusov, said on national television: 鈥淣uclear blackmail is a usual practice of Putin鈥檚 regime; it does not constitute major news.鈥�
Western officials have blamed Russia for threatening a wider war through provocative acts. NATO countries said last week they by a campaign of hybrid activities on the military alliance鈥檚 soil, accusing Moscow of being behind them and saying they represent a security threat.
Peskov dismissed those claims as 鈥渘ew, unfounded accusations leveled at our country.鈥�
Germany said Monday it to Russia for a week of consultations in Berlin following an alleged computer hack of Chancellor Olaf Scholz鈥檚 party.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones hit two vehicles Monday in Russia鈥檚 Belgorod region, killing six people and injuring 35 others, including two children, local authorities said. The area has been hit by Kyiv鈥檚 forces in recent months.
One of the vehicles was a minibus carrying farm workers, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
It was not possible to independently confirm the report.
While Ukraine鈥檚 army is largely pinned down on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line due to a shortage of troops and ammunition after more than two years of fighting, it has used its long-range firepower to hit targets deep inside Russia.
In what has largely been a war of attrition, Russia also has relied heavily on long-range missile, artillery and drones to wreak damage on Ukraine.
The Kremlin's forces kept up their bombardment of Ukraine's power grid, with a nighttime Russian drone attack targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine鈥檚 northern region of Sumy. Multiple towns and villages in the region, including Sumy, lost power, regional authorities said.
Russia attacked Ukrainian targets with 13 Shahed drones overnight, 12 of which were intercepted in the Sumy region, Ukraine鈥檚 air force said.
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