Russia may respond to aggression with the use of nuclear weapons: Yuri Knutov

Yuri Knutov, military expert and historian of air defense forces, commented to Alpha News on the Russian military’s drills for preparing and deploying nuclear forces in conditions of possible war.

“The nuclear triad drills currently being conducted on Russian territory may well be routine. They may be carried out in accordance with schedules that were approved by the General Staff in due course. It so happened that the drills coincided directly with the statement by the Lithuanian foreign minister, who essentially called on NATO countries to attack Russia and seize the Kaliningrad region. He referred to it as a small fortified stronghold that NATO could easily capture by destroying the air defense systems and other weapons located in that territory. I would therefore say that this call is essentially aggressive in nature and amounts to unleashing war against the Russian Federation,” the expert noted.

According to Knutov, any attack on the Kaliningrad region by NATO would constitute a casus belli.

“The Kaliningrad region is part of Russia, and therefore any attack on it by NATO is a casus belli. Under these conditions, Russia may respond, including through the use of nuclear weapons, which is set out in our country’s military doctrine and provides for the use of various means of destruction. The drills are therefore being conducted by the full nuclear triad, the nuclear deterrent forces, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Navy, and the long-range aviation of the Air Force,” Knutov said.