UK defence chief: Russia's nuclear alert is part of its 'battle of rhetoric'

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin appointed new Chief of the Defence Staff. Credit: Gov.uk

Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says Russia's President Vladimir Putin putting his nuclear forces on high alert is part of the Kremlin's "battle of rhetoric" rather than a real threat.

As a response to NATO's aggressive statements and financial sanctions imposed after his invasion of Ukraine, Putin increased the readiness of Russia's nuclear weapons on Feb. 27.

He added: “We will not do anything to escalate in that area, we will not do anything to feed any miscalculation, we take it very, very seriously.

In the Russian handbook, "the lives of our own soldiers matter much less than those of others," he admitted, because Russian policies are more violent and use more force.

During his speech, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, said Russia could order the use of battlefield nuclear weapons.

28 Feb 2022