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Norwegian intelligence: Russian ships, for the first time in 30 years, go to sea with nuclear weapons

14 February 2023 09:05 (UTC +04:00)

The ships of the Russian Northern Fleet, for the first time in 30 years, began to go to sea with tactical nuclear weapons on board. About it stated Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) in its annual report, APA reports.

According to the document, in Soviet times, warships of the Northern Fleet regularly went to sea with tactical nuclear weapons, but no such cases have been known since the Cold War. At the same time, intelligence claims that after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, “the importance of nuclear weapons for Russia has increased significantly.”

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Norwegian intelligence, in its report, notes that the central part of the nuclear potential is located on the submarines of the Northern Fleet and surface ships. “Nuclear weapons are a particularly serious threat in the options for operations in which NATO countries may participate,” the document emphasizes.

Earlier, it was reported that the Swedish Ministry of Defense prepared for a nuclear strike, which allegedly could be delivered by Russia, and took “a number of measures” in such a case. Mikael Klasson, Chief of Staff of the country’s Armed Forces, explained such actions by saying that Moscow has an “unpleasant habit of doing what it says.”

In December, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia’s nuclear weapons were a deterrent for the country’s defense. He stressed that Moscow is aware of all the responsibility that accompanies the possession of nuclear weapons, and is not going to “waving them around.”