Putin meets government members ahead of inauguration

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An economic aggression was unleaded against Russia and wanted to lead to unemployment and the closure of enterprises, but it failed, Putin said during a meeting with members of the government, adding that the Russian economy grew at a rate above the world average last year.

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What kinds of tactical nuclear weapons does Russia have? Pt.1

Russia’s military is planning tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) drills in response to “provocative threats” by NATO about deploying troops in Ukraine.

What are tactical nukes?

TNWs, or ‘battlefield’ nuclear weapons are a class of nukes first developed by the US in the 1950s for use against enemy troops and other ‘tactical’ targets. The USSR created its own lineup of TNWs, many of them standardized with conventional weapons systems.

Modern TNWs’ explosive power ranges from fractions of a kiloton to about 50 kilotons. For comparison, the US nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of about 15 kilotons.

How many TNWs does Russia have?

The size of Russia’s TNW stockpile is kept under wraps, but the Federation of American Scientists estimates it to be between 1,000-2,000 nukes total (down from 22,000 in 1991). These weapons are not subject to treaty restrictions that affect strategic nuclear arsenals.

What means does Russia have to use its tactical nukes?

Russia has an array of means to deliver TNWs, including:

🔺ground-based Iskander-M missile systems

🔺ship and air-launched Kalibr and Kh-59 cruise missiles

🔺missiles and free-fall bombs launched from warplanes including the Su-34, Tu-142, Tu-22M3, Su-24, Su-25, MiG-31K and Su-57.

🔺Yasen-class cruise missile subs can theoretically carry TNWs.

🔺Smaller TNWs can be fired by standard 152 mm Russian howitzers, like the Msta-S/B, Akatsiya and Giatsint-S. Specially-developed nuclear artillery rounds for the 203 mm Pion/Malka cannon and 240 mm Tyulpan mortar system were created.

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What kinds of tactical nuclear weapons does Russia have? Pt. 2

How far can Russia’s TNWs reach?

Given their compatibility with many otherwise conventional munitions and launch platforms, Russia’s TNWs can theoretically strike targets anywhere from a few km to 8,500+ km away.

Russian TNW trump card

Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal also includes a unique trump card: the 53T6, a Soviet-designed anti-ballistic missile used by the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system guarding Moscow. Armed with a 10-kiloton nuclear warhead, 53T6s are meant to intercept and destroy incoming strategic missiles at speeds of up to Mach 17, and from distances up to 100 km away. TNW-armed interceptor missiles can reportedly also be equipped aboard S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.

Escalation risks

In the wrong hands, TNWs can pose the risk of strategic escalation, since their explosive power by itself isn’t high enough to have world-ending consequences, thus theoretically lowering their threshold of use. Fortunately, unlike the US, which allows nukes to be used preemptively and even against non-nuclear adversaries, Russia has strict restrictions in place on its nuclear arsenal, including TNWs. Their employment is contingent on enemy attacks using WMDs, or conventional aggression so severe it puts Russia’s existence in jeopardy.

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Vladimir Putin noted during the meeting that the current government began work in the fight against the pandemic, which became a difficult test, and passed it with dignity.

The president also emphasized that after eight years of Kiev’s abuse of the residents of Donbass, Russia had to take measures to protect people by force of arms.

In general, under the current government, Russia has been looking for answers to historical challenges and successfully overcoming them, the president said.

On Tuesday, after the inauguration of the president, the government will legally relinquish its powers, and its members will become acting.

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❗️China, France, and the EU should jointly counter the escalation in Ukraine and create conditions for peaceful negotiations, Xi Jinping said in Paris.

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🇨🇳 Other statements of Xi Jinping on the Ukrainian crisis:

🔺China is ready to maintain contact with relevant parties.

🔺China did not create the Ukrainian crisis and is not a party to it. All this time, China has been vigorously working to facilitate peace negotiations.

🔺China's objective, fair position, and constructive role have been widely recognized by the international community.

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⚡️A strong protest was expressed to the British ambassador in connection with the country's Foreign Minister David Cameron's statement about Kiev's right to strike Russia with British weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Ambassador was warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory could be any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

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Are Gaza ceasefire talks on the brink of collapse?

Hamas' strikes on the Kerem Shalom border crossing on the southeastern border of the Gaza Strip have disrupted ceasefire negotiations, local media have reported.

This comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that three of their soldiers were killed near the Kerem Shalom border crossing as a result of an attack carried out by Hamas on Sunday.

An Egyptian security service delegation will intensify contacts to contain the current escalation between Hamas and Israel, broadcaster Al Ekhbariya said, citing a high-ranking source.

Meanwhile, Hamas will continue talks with Israel on the Gaza truce despite the Israeli call for the evacuation of Palestinians from Rafah, AFP reported, citing a representative.

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❗️France did not send Foreign Legion soldiers to Ukraine, the French Foreign Ministry said.

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Footage of the capture and interrogation of the Russian citizen, who worked for the Ukrainian intelligence services, was released by the FSB.

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Will Germany deport Ukrainian draft dodgers?

Talks between the German Ministry of Internal Affairs and the federal states will begin on May 7 on how to deal with draft-eligible Ukrainian men in order to come up with a “nationwide solution,” ARD reports.

Last year, the majority of EU states declined to extradite Ukrainian draft dodgers, citing European conventions. However, Poland and Lithuania have recently indicated that they are considering options to assist Kiev in bringing back draft dodgers. Ukraine has recently lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 under its new mobilization law.

🔺Over 6.4 mln fled Ukraine since the conflict escalated in 2022 (per UNHCR data).

🔺Around 768,000 Ukrainians (aged 18-64) left Ukraine for the EU (per BBC assessments/November 2023).

🔺Close to 20.6 percent of the estimated 4.3 mln Ukrainians living in the EU are men (per Eurostat).

When looking at the top EU destinations for Ukrainian refugees, Statista numbers from March 2024 show that approximately 1.1 million individuals have been living in Germany since February 2022. Poland follows closely behind, with 956,635 Ukrainian refugees currently residing in the East European country. Of this population, 235,000 are of military age, as reported by the Health Insurance Company ZUS.

The Czech Republic has 381,400 Ukrainian refugees, with 94,643 men aged 18 to 65 having official temporary residency, according to the country's Interior Ministry.

Ukrainian refugees in the EU are ennoscriptd to various benefits, such as the right to work, social welfare, housing assistance, free medical care, and car insurance. In Germany, only 20 percent of Ukrainian refugees were working at the end of 2023. Upon arrival, Ukrainian refugees receive higher welfare payments than other asylum-seekers. A single person is ennoscriptd to €563 ($610) in monthly spending money.

With many EU countries facing budget constraints, it is not surprising that polls show Ukrainian refugees are overstaying their welcome.

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Message to NATO powers ‘playing war in Ukraine’: Why Russia is drilling its tactical nuclear forces

“Exercises using this kind of ammunition were last conducted during the Soviet period. Therefore, it’s necessary to carry out drills so that those who would have to use them know how to handle and use these weapons,” military observer Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik, commenting on plans by the Russian military to hold drills to increase “the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces” in the wake of NATO’s provocations in Ukraine.

“If we’re talking about foreign policy, [Kremlin spokesman] Dmitry Peskov said that this is a certain signal to those Western countries ‘playing war’ in Ukraine, who are planning officially to send contingents of troops there, who are going to supply some types of weapons that will allow Ukraine to fire on our territories,” Leonkov explained.

The military observer doesn’t think any drills will involve the use of live nuclear rounds, given Russia’s adherence to a commitment not to engage in nuclear testing.

The exercises were obviously ordered by President Putin, Leonkov believes. “Before this there was his statement [in March] about F-16 jets based in NATO countries participating in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, and that it doesn’t matter who’s flying them – Ukrainian or non-Ukrainian pilots – that [Russia] will consider the matter of airfields where these aircraft are based and take off from, that they will become our legitimate targets. But apparently, this warning by our president was not heard in the West,” Leonkov explained.

In the wake of Russia’s announcement of the planned tactical nuclear missile drills, the observer warned that those in the West who once again choose to ignore Moscow’s warnings on this issue or cast them off as insignificant “are very seriously mistaken.”

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❗️The Russian Federation will perceive F-16s in Ukraine as carriers of nuclear weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Russia reserves the right to react in a mirror way to the deployment of American-made missiles.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry's statements on the escalation in Ukraine:

🔺The Russian exercises should be viewed in the context of recent belligerent statements by Western officials and destabilizing actions by NATO.

🔺We hope that exercises to test the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons will cool down the “hot heads” in Western capitals.

🔺In response to the actions of the United States, the Russian Federation is intensifying its development and starting production of medium- and shorter-range missile systems.

🔺The United States is “at full speed” producing and testing medium- and shorter-range missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

🔺The actions of NATO member countries indicate that they are deliberately heading towards an open military clash with Russia.

🔺The reckless steps of Ukraine and Western countries are bringing the situation ever closer to the accumulation of an explosive “critical mass.”

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🇷🇺 Russian presidential inauguration ceremony: what you need to know

Vladimir Putin will be sworn in as the president of the Russian Federation in the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 7.

The newly elected Russian president will solemnly swear the oath of office as outlined in the Russian Constitution, accompanied by the symbols of presidential authority.

A new version of the Russian-made Aurus Senat Limousine, a fully armored car designed in a retro style featuring Soviet-era detail and having a 4.4-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine, will be used during the ceremony.

The inauguration ceremony has evolved ver the past decades, acquiring new elements to reflect Russia's resurgence as a major world power.

🔺Boris Yeltsin was elected the first president of the Russian Federation on June 12, 1991. During the inauguration, Yeltsin took the oath of office while the state flag of the RSFSR was raised above the Kremlin's presidential residence next to the state flag of the USSR. Patriarch Alexy II made the sign of the cross over the president.

🔺During the second inauguration ceremony in 1996, the President's Standard was first used. The chairman of the Federation Council affixed the sign of the President of the Russian Federation — a chain of office — to the Russian leader.

🔺Vladimir Putin's first inauguration, held on May 7, 2000, included a ceremonial procession featuring the Russian military dressed in uniforms reminiscent of soldiers from the Patriotic War of 1812. They carried the state flag, the presidential standard, a special copy of the constitution and the presidential sign into the St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

🔺Subsequent ceremonies have remained largely unchanged, culminating in a special prayer service by the Russian Patriarch who blesses the president.

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