Russia simulates nuclear counterattack, doubles bet on crusade against Ukraine

Russia rehearsed a response to a possible Ukrainian nuclear attack on Wednesday, in an exercise that involved nuclear submarines, strategic bombers and ballistic missiles. With this, the country signals that it is doubling its bet against an alleged Ukrainian plan to attack its own territory with a “dirty bomb”.

The artifact is a conventional missile that, with radioactive materials, scatters chemically or biologically toxic products when detonated. According to the government of Vladimir Putin, the enemy country plans to launch one of these in what appears to be an imminent battle for control of Kherson, only to later accuse Russia of having used nuclear weapons.

The city is the eponymous capital of one of the Ukrainian territories newly annexed through referendums deemed illegitimate by the international community.

Putin watched the exercise remotely. Called “grom”, or thunder in Portuguese, it tests the launch of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles to train the Armed Forces, in a show of force aimed at deterring and intimidating enemies. According to Russian authorities, the tests were successful.