Russian Ships Take to Sea with Nuclear Weapons for the First Time Since the Cold War: NIS

The Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) has released its annual report, highlighting that the Northern Fleet of Russia has taken to sea with tactical nuclear weapons for the first time in 30 years. RTVI reports this development.

According to the document, during the Soviet era, the Northern Fleet’s vessels systematically navigated the seas with tactical nuclear arms; however, such occurrences have not been recorded since the end of the Cold War.

NIS believes that the significance of nuclear weapons for Russia has considerably increased following the outbreak of military operations in Ukraine.

Norwegian intelligence indicates that the central part of Russia's nuclear capabilities has been deployed on submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet.

The report states, “Nuclear weapons pose a serious threat in operations involving NATO countries.”

On September 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that “when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will undoubtedly use all means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people.” According to the leader, this includes the use of nuclear weapons, adding that “this is not a bluff.”

Politico has reported that U.S. intelligence and their allies have intensified monitoring of Russia to determine whether Putin has ordered the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, has also repeatedly spoken about the potential use of nuclear weapons. In September, he stated that “Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary.”

According to Medvedev, the application of nuclear weapons is permissible in the event of an attack on Russia or its allies “with the use of this type of weapon” or if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state.