The special services of the United States and their allies strengthened intelligence in the air, space and cyberspace in order to understand how ready to use its nuclear weapons. This was reported by Politico with reference to five sources among former and current American officials.
The interlocutors of the publication warned that Russia had the opportunity to invisibly use smaller tactical nuclear weapons than intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“We are very carefully monitoring this,” said the US government official, who has access to intelligence on nuclear forces and strategy of Moscow, adding that additional reconnaissance and monitoring are conducted in the air, space and cyberspace. These efforts include more active use of commercial satellites to obtain images of the Earth and analysis. One of the objects of attention was the Kaliningrad region, where the Kremlin installed double -purpose weapons and hypersonic missiles, the publication notes.
According to one of the American officials, about two dozen Russian weapons systems can deliver both ordinary ammunition and low -power warheads. Russia has more than 1900 tactical nuclear warheads, the expert assessment of experts.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin, representatives of the authorities and propagandists have repeatedly hinted that Russia could use nuclear weapons. On September 21, Putin, in circulation of the start of mobilization, stated that the Russian authorities are ready to use “all the funds available at our disposal”, emphasizing that “this is not a bluff.”