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| President Vladimir Putin Deploys Nuclear Division Train to Ukrainian Battlefields |
Moscow - President Vladimir Putin has deployed trains operated by Russia's secret nuclear division to the front lines of fighting in Ukraine. The convoy carrying equipment for Russia's nuclear weapons program has sparked fears that Vladimir Putin will prepare for "tests" to send a signal to the West.
The train operator of nuclear weapons equipment is linked to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar shared footage showing large convoys of goods to the front lines of fighting since last weekend.
Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst specializing in Ukraine, said the 12th Directorate operates a dozen central storage facilities for nuclear weapons. "This is actually a kit belonging to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. This Directorate is responsible for nuclear munitions, their storage, maintenance, transportation and issuance to the unit," he said, as quoted by the Telegraph, Tuesday (4/10/2022).
Muzyka said, "It could be a signal to the West that Moscow is improving", referring to Vladimir Putin's nuclear war warning last week. However, the expert stressed that the video shows absolutely no preparation for a nuclear weapons launch.
The convoy of equipment came as sources told The Times that NATO had sent intelligence reports to its members and allies warning them of the fact that Russia was expected to test a nuclear-capable torpedo drone; Poseidon, probably in the Black Sea he controls. The Poseidon torpedo, dubbed the "weapon of the apocalypse", can be launched from a submarine.
According to the newspaper La Repubblica, it will be tested in the Kara Sea region, north of mainland Russia. This latest maneuver could signal Putin's increasingly desperate willingness to escalate the war following a series of humiliating defeats on the battlefield, including the loss of the main city of Donetsk; Lyman, and the most recent setback in the Kherson region.
According to Pentagon officials, the US is considering how to respond to a variety of potential scenarios, including concerns that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons. Last Friday, at a ceremony in which he announced the annexation of four Ukrainian territories, Putin said Russia would use "all available means" to defend the territory.
Meanwhile, an additional military aid package from the Joe Biden administration is again being prepared for Ukraine. The additional assistance includes four HIMARS rocket launchers, ammunition, mines and mine-resistant vehicles.
Two sources who had been briefed on the $625 million aid package told Reuters on Monday. The additional aid package, which is expected to be announced as soon as Tuesday (4/10/2022), is the first since Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory and the second Presidential Withdrawal Authority since Ukraine made major battlefield gains in mid-September.