Russia, Belarus launch a second stage of drills to train troops in tactical nuclear weapons

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia and its ally Belarus have launched a second stage of drills intended to train their troops in tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin’s efforts to discourage the West from ramping up support for Ukraine. In announcing the nuclear maneuvers last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said they were in response to provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation. The Kremlin has expressed outrage after French President Emmanuel Macron said he doesn’t exclude deploying troops to Ukraine, and the U.S. and some other NATO allies allowed Kyiv to use the weapons supplied by them for striking targets on the Russian territory.