Russia Training Troops to Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Russian forces in occupied Ukraine will conduct military exercises simulating the use of nuclear weapons on the battlefield, according to a July 31 statement from Moscow’s Defense Ministry.

• The drills will involve Russian soldiers in the southern and central military districts.
• They will practice securing tactical nuclear warheads onto Russia’s Iskander-M ballistic missiles, loading the missiles onto warplanes, and flying missions in which the missiles are launched at Ukrainian targets.

Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller and considerably less powerful than strategic nuclear weapons. They are intended for use on a battlefield with a specific, well-defined target—instead of flattening entire cities as strategic nuclear weapons do.

European fear: Such Russian drills are alarming to many Europeans, as they are only the latest sign of Russia’s belligerence and of the latest Russian nuclear threat.

As Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry said the move would terrify Europe in a way that prompts it to militarize and unify. He placed those developments in the context of Bible prophecy:

We have been prophesying for around 70 years that Eastern Europe would become a vital part of a new European superpower—a resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. This prophecy is directly related to the Crimean crisis! The fear you see in Europe because of events in Crimea is going to cause 10 leaders in Europe to unite in a sudden and dramatic way—and in precise accordance with the Bible’s description of that European empire! …

Europe’s new fear of Russia is going to play a major role in hastening the fulfillment of that prophecy!

The people of Europe watched Russia’s annexation of Crimea with dread. Today, as they observe Russia’s ongoing full-scale war on Ukraine and now its nuclear training drills, that fear is intensifying. It is driving them to bolster their military power and to unify militarily.

Learn more: Read “The Crimean Crisis Is Reshaping Europe!”