In its military planning, Russia will take into account the modernization of American nuclear bombs being developed in Europe, RIA reports citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

Earlier this week, Politico, citing a US diplomatic document and two people familiar with the matter, reported that the United States has accelerated the deployment of its upgraded B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons to NATO bases in Europe.

The arrival of the upgraded B61-12 gravity bomber, originally scheduled for next spring, has been pushed back to December this year, US officials told NATO allies during a closed-door meeting in Brussels this month, the cable said.

The move, which involves replacing old weapons with newer versions at various warehouses in Europe for possible use by US and allied bombers and fighters, comes amid rising tensions over Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and growing concern about what the West should do. more so that Moscow does not cross this line.

The arrival date came as a surprise to some long-time observers, who fear it could further exacerbate an already dangerous situation in Europe. The message behind the dispatch of the first bombs in December may be directed more at European allies, who feel especially vulnerable in Moscow.

The document, previously unpublished and prepared for distribution to the Pentagon and the State Department to give politicians a rundown of what was discussed by defense ministers at the NATO meeting, makes it clear that allies are irritated.

The document says that during the meetings, 15 NATO allies expressed concern that the alliance “should not succumb to Putin’s nuclear blackmail.”

The B61 is a family of nuclear bombs first developed in the early 1960s and first demonstrated during underground nuclear testing in Nevada. Over the decades, a dozen versions have been developed, and most of them are already obsolete.

The $10 billion “B61-12 Life Extension Program”, as it is called, is run by the Department of Energy and is designed to replace several earlier versions, including about 100 bombs stored at air bases in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and other countries. Turkey.