Russia is increasingly reliant on its nuclear deterrent, including tactical nuclear weapons that may be used on a battlefield, according to a Norwegian intelligence report released on February 13.
“The key part of the nuclear potential is on the submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet,” the Norwegian intelligence agency said. “Tactical nuclear weapons are a particularly serious threat in several operational scenarios in which NATO countries may be involved.”
After the report was shared widely by international media, alleging that Russia had deployed nuclear weapons on its ships in the Baltic Sea, the intelligence agency later clarified it had not observed a change in armaments of Russian vessels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, which NATO and Western leaders dismissed as blackmail.
According to Vilnius officials and intelligence agencies, Russia has previously deployed nuclear weapons to its exclave of Kaliningrad which borders Lithuania and Poland.
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