Putin's nuclear exercises: What it means and whether it's related to US election
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has announced the start of training for nuclear deterrent forces. He likely aims to influence the Republican presidential candidate in the United States, Donald Trump, as Oleksandr Musiienko, head of the Center for Military Legal Studies, told RBC-Ukraine.
What Putin said
Putin announced that today, October 29, the training of strategic deterrent forces has begun.
"We will practice the actions of officials in managing the use of nuclear weapons with practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles," added the Kremlin leader.
According to him, the nuclear triad continues to be the guarantee of sovereignty and security for Russia, allowing for the achievement of strategic deterrence objectives.
Dictator's objective
"This is a promotional campaign ahead of the US presidential elections. Absolutely a promotional campaign aimed at impressing Trump," Musiienko believes.
He said that Russia hopes for Trump's victory in the presidential elections. Trump, in turn, has claimed that "Russia cannot be defeated militarily" and that it "has strength." And Putin hears all of this.
Musiienko suggested that Moscow is prepared to endure such enormous losses on the front lines and continue the war ahead of the elections in the United States.
"The same applies to nuclear weapons. This is a way to intimidate. It's a way to create an image. It’s a way for Trump, especially if he comes to power after the presidential elections, to immediately have a basis for negotiations. He will say, 'We could have a nuclear war with Russia, and that shouldn’t happen,' and so on," the expert added.
Thus, such "advertising and propaganda" campaigns aim to scare the West.
Incidentally, Putin recently began threatening Ukraine amid rumors that it could quickly develop nuclear weapons.
