Putin Reaffirms Expansion of Russia’s Nuclear Forces

Moscow — Russia's President Vladimir Putin reiterated plans to strengthen the country's nuclear forces at an event with graduates of military academies on Wednesday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Putin once again held out the prospect of the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which can be armed with nuclear warheads, entering service in the near future. The original target date was 2022.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin's nuclear threats have provoked international criticism on several occasions.

His announcement that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally and neighbour Belarus caused outrage.

According to the Kremlin, the deployment is to be completed by the end of the year.

At the beginning of the year, Russia declared that it was suspending the last major agreement on nuclear arms control - the New Start treaty with the United States.

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