A few days after the announcement of plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus on a regular basis Vladimir Putin again relied on the nuclear card, seeking to force the Americans and their allies Ukrainian with large-scale exercises on the movement and use of intercontinental missiles.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, secondary educational institutions with the participation of 3,000 military personnel and 300 vehicles with Yars ballistic missiles started yesterday in three regions of Eastern Siberia. These intercontinental ballistic missiles can carry nuclear warheads, have a range of about 11,000 kilometers and form the backbone of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

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As secondary schools reopened, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced yesterday that Moscow had stopped sharing information with Washington about its nuclear arsenal. Last month, Russia suspended implementation of the New START Nuclear Arms Control Treaty signed in 2010 by then US and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev. Under the agreement, each of the two nuclear superpowers provided regular information on their arsenals and timely information on their nuclear tests.

In the same speech, Sergei Ryabkov argued that Vladimir Putin’s announcement of installing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was necessary because of the “deeply irresponsible attitude of Western elites towards their peoples and international security” in Ukrainian, adding: “Now they have to face a new reality. We hope that NATO officials correctly assess the gravity of the situation.”

Attacks in Donetsk

According to the British Ministry of Defense, in the area of ​​​​operations, the Russian army continued ruthless attacks on the cities of Bakhmut and Avdovka in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, but with only minor territorial gains, while losing a large number of armored personnel carriers. In contrast, Denis Pushilin, a spokesman for Moscow’s Russian-speaking allies in Donetsk, said that the bulk of Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from the metal industry, which was their key stronghold, in the western part of Bakhmut, and that the Russian army was moving forward. .

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that winning the Battle of Bakhmut is absolutely essential, given that otherwise the resolve of his Western allies could be dented and Russia’s pressure on a ceasefire agreement could intensify. this imposes unacceptable concessions on his country. In the same interview, Zelensky invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Kyiv. Asked about this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “not Russia’s business” to advise the Chinese president whether to go to Ukraine.

Bombs in Melitopolis

While the Russian offensive on the eastern front appears to be waning, there are signs that the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive is about to begin. Yesterday, the Ukrainian military bombed a train depot and caused a power outage in Melitopol in the southern Zaporozhye region, one of four Ukrainian regions partially annexed by Russia since the 2022 invasion. Also north of Melitopol is the Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. which yesterday for the second time was visited by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in order to reach an agreement on the safety of the station.

In Washington, US President Joe Biden opened the second (online) Summit of the Republics yesterday, with 120 countries represented, with Russia and China not invited. The Biden administration has announced it will provide $690 million to strengthen democracy around the world through programs that support independent media, fight corruption, and protect human rights.