Threatening gesture from Russia?

Putin attends nuclear deterrent exercise

Created: 2022-10-27 04:45

By: Andreas Schmid, Christoph Gschoßmann, Felix Durach

The Ukrainian Defense Minister expects the delivery of main battle tanks.

Putin attends a Russian deterrent exercise.

All information in the news ticker.

• Ukraine

  is now hoping for

  main battle tanks:

  Despite rejection, the defense minister expects deliveries in the future.

• Merkel's ex-adviser

  sure: Christoph Heusgen sees Germany as the addressee for Russia's nuclear weapons threats.

• "Dirty Bomb"

  in the

  Ukraine War

  ?

  Russia repeats allegations.

• This news ticker on diplomacy in the

  Ukraine war

  has ended.

  All further information can be found in our new news ticker.

Update from October 26, 2:25 p.m .:

Vladimir Putin personally attended an exercise by Russia’s “strategic deterrent forces”.

In the broadest sense, the tasks of the troops include reacting to external threats – even in the event of a nuclear war.

"Under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, the strategic deterrent forces on the ground, at sea and in the air have held training," the Kremlin said.

The exercise included launching ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Among other things, ballistic missiles were fired from the Kamchatka Peninsula and from the waters of the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

Long-range Tu-95 bombers were also involved in the exercise.

“The tasks set for the strategic deterrence exercise were fully accomplished.

All missiles have reached their target," the statement said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting a military training center of the Western Military District for reservists in the Ryazan region.

(Iconic image) © Mikhail Klimentyev/dpa

In recent days, the Russian leadership has repeatedly said that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb".

The open communication of Putin's participation in the exercise could further feed this narrative while being seen as a sign of strength.

The western states currently see no signs of the use of such a weapon by Ukraine and rather suspect a "false flag operation" by Russia.

Ukraine is now hoping for main battle tanks: Minister points to earlier changes of course in the West

Update from October 26, 11:45 a.m .:

The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov was optimistic about further western arms deliveries to Ukraine.

He probably also expects the delivery of Western battle tanks and jets.

"I'm really optimistic that Abrams tanks will be possible in the future, and I'm sure that fighter jets like the F-16, F-15 or Gripen from Sweden will also be possible," Reznikov told the

portal .

US Abrams tanks are comparable to the Leopard 2 main battle tank used by Germany.

So far, Washington has refused delivery, citing the complexity of the weapon systems.

The NATO countries had also previously refused to supply battle tanks.

The concern of a further escalation of the conflict is too great.

Resnikov referred to past arms deliveries to Ukraine, as also

from

reports.

The delivery of heavy artillery systems was initially rejected by the West.

In the meantime, however, these weapons have arrived in the war zone.

Germany also supplied, among other things, the Panzerhaubitze 2000 and the multiple rocket launcher MARS-II.

"When you hear that it's impossible, it means that it will be possible in the future," Resnikov explains his attitude.

Ukraine News: US President Biden talks Ukraine support with Sunak and Meloni

Update from October 26, 10:45 a.m .:

US President Biden and newly appointed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have agreed to work closely together to support Ukraine.

The two agreed on the "importance of working together in support of Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression," the White House said.

Also on Tuesday evening, the US President spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

"They discussed their commitment to continue providing assistance to Ukraine and to hold Russia accountable for its aggression," the White House said in a statement.

Merkel's ex-adviser sure: "With the nuclear weapons threat, Putin is primarily aiming at Germany"

Update from October 26, 7:14 a.m .:

Vladimir Putin’s threats to consider the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war and to defend Russian territory have a primary addressee for the head of the Munich Security Conference.

"With the threat of nuclear weapons, he is primarily aiming at Germany," Christoph Heusgen told the newspapers of the Bayern media group.

With this threat, Putin is trying to stir up fears and weaken support for Ukraine.

"We are back in the logic of the Cold War." The Americans had made it clear to Moscow that the use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic consequences for Russia, said Heusgen, Angela Merkel's foreign policy adviser from 2005 to 2017.

Christoph Heusgen (right) was Angela Merkel's security policy adviser for a long time.

© picture alliance / Kay Nietfeld/dpa

"I cannot imagine that there are suicidal Russian generals who would implement such an order." In addition, the Kremlin chief does not want to go into worldwide isolation.

Even China cannot allow the use of nuclear weapons to go through.

Joe Biden warns Russia not to use nuclear weapons

Update from October 25, 8:48 p.m .:

US President Joe Biden has warned Moscow again in clear words about the use of nuclear weapons.

"Russia would be making an incredibly grave mistake if it were to use tactical nuclear weapons," Biden said Tuesday when asked whether Russia was preparing to use a nuclear-contaminated bomb or nuclear weapons.

"I can't guarantee it's a false flag operation," Biden said, referring to Russia's claim that Ukraine was planning to detonate a dirty bomb and then blaming it on Russia.

"I don't know, but it would be a bad, bad mistake."

The National Security Council's communications director, John Kirby, also stressed Monday that Russia had "occasionally blamed others for things it intended to do."

However, there is currently no evidence that this is the case here, according to Kirby.

"But it's a spectacle we've seen before."

US President Joe Biden speaks on energy and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

© Evan Vucci/dpa

Hofreiter demands more anti-aircraft systems from Germany for the Ukraine

Update from October 25, 8:06 p.m.:

More Iris-T systems for Ukraine?

The Green politician Anton Hofreiter has demanded the delivery of further anti-aircraft systems from Germany.

"Three more Iris-T systems are not enough," Hofreiter told Die

(Wednesday).

"If the production capacities are no longer there, we will have to examine more closely whether we can supply Patriot systems from Bundeswehr stocks and more cheetahs." could.

Kadyrov expresses dissatisfaction with the course of the war in Ukraine - and wants to wipe out Ukrainian cities

Update from October 25, 7:28 p.m .:

The notorious ruler of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has again expressed his dissatisfaction with the course of the war in Ukraine.

"We used to say that we were conducting a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, but the war is already taking place on our territory," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.

He is very dissatisfied with it.

At the same time he threatened Ukraine's western support countries with annihilation.

Martial law has already been imposed in regions bordering Ukraine, Kadyrov said.

"But they continue to shoot at peaceful citizens and civilian objects." Russia's response to this was "weak," Kadyrov criticized.

In retaliation, he demanded the obliteration of Ukrainian cities "so that we may see the distant horizon."

Eight months after the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin declared martial law in several areas annexed in violation of international law.

Ukraine wants to recapture the occupied territories.

Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky warns of a nuclear explosion in Ukraine

Update from October 25, 3:45 p.m

.: After the Kremlin statements about a “dirty bomb” in Ukraine, Duma MP Leonid Slutsky warns of a nuclear explosion in Ukraine.

It could also hit the US.

"If Ukrainian instigators blow up a nuclear bomb, the consequences will also affect the United States and the whole world in one way or another," the state news agency Tass quoted the politician as saying.

Russia has repeatedly warned of a nuclear catastrophe and will "make every possible effort to prevent it".

Slutsky is chairman of the far-right LDPR party and is on the US sanctions list.

Shortly after the beginning of the Ukraine war, he was involved in the then Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.

However, they failed unsuccessfully.

An end to the war through diplomatic channels is currently not in sight.

Vladimir Medinsky (from left) and Leonid Slutsky (from right), members of the Russian delegation, and the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov (middle back) at war negotiations in March.

© Alexander Kryazhev/imago

Update from October 25, 2:40 p.m

.: Russia continues to insist that Ukraine is preparing to use a radioactive “dirty” bomb in the war.

After Lavrov's spokeswoman Zakharova, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is now following suit.

The US refusal to take notice is unacceptable in the face of such a threat, Peskov told Russian news agencies.

"This is an approach that is far from serious, an approach that I would say is inappropriate given the seriousness of the threat we are talking about."

Peskov also commented on the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the new British prime minister.

"Right now we don't see any assumptions, no foundation and we have no hope that there will be any positive changes any time soon," he said.

"Dirty Bomb" in the Ukraine War?

Russia repeats allegations

First report from October 25, 1 p.m

.: Moscow – In the Ukraine war there is currently a lot of talk of a “dirty bomb”.

With this expression, Russia accuses Ukraine of wanting to detonate a nuclear-contaminated bomb.

Russia made the allegations public at the weekend, Ukraine, the USA, France and Great Britain rejected them.

Now Russia is following up – with an offer to the West.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Moscow was prepared to provide "detailed information on Kiev's preparations for a provocation by using a dirty bomb" to "all interested" states.

Speaking to the US, France and Britain, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “What they should do now is postpone all their business, sit down and review the materials mentioned by Russia in phone calls and publicly analyze the information ."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

© IMAGO / SNA

"Like Russia's statements before February 24" -Lithuania warns of war escalation

There was initially no renewed reaction from the states, instead Russia's neighbor Lithuania spoke out.

Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on the West to take the Kremlin's claims seriously.

Moscow's allegations could possibly be the prelude to a military escalation, said the chief diplomat of the Baltic EU and NATO country on the radio on Tuesday.

more on the subject

Russia raises allegations against Ukraine - what is behind it?

"It's very reminiscent of Russia's statements leading up to February 24," Landsbergis said.

At the time, before the attack on Ukraine, Moscow had also spread false information about chemical plants that allegedly existed in Ukraine.

“Some partners took it seriously, but not necessarily all.

We thought it was just a campaign of lies by Russia, but we'll see how it turned out," he said.