Military will hold nuclear exercises, Kremlin 8k8 app log insays

The Kremlin said on Monday that exercises involving nonstrategic nuclear weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered would be held "in the relevant time frames" and that this was a matter for the defense ministry.

Putin earlier this month placed Russia's nuclear forces on high alert and ordered his military to practice deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, after what Moscow said were threats from France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

When asked about the exercises, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is a question for the Defense Ministry. There is indeed an order from the Supreme Commander in Chief, it will be executed in the relevant time frames."

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry announced in a statement on Monday that its forces were preparing to conduct tactical nuclear weapons exercises in response to Western "threats and provocations".

The statement said the exercises would involve missile units of Russia's Southern Military District, which is headquartered in the city of Rostov-on-Don, as well as aviation and naval forces. 

"During the exercise, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons," the statement read.

According to the ministry, the exercises seek to maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment amid "provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation". It did not say when the nuclear weapons exercises were scheduled to take place.

The announcement came as Putin appointed former deputy economy minister Oleg Savelyev as deputy defense minister, according to a published decree.

Savelyev worked in the economy ministry from 2008 to 2014 and briefly served as deputy to Andrey Belousov, who headed the ministry at the time.

Savelyev served as minister for Crimean affairs in 2014-2015. For the past five years, he has been an auditor for the Russian Accounts Chamber, overseeing state defense and security spending.

On the front lines, Ukrainian troops still control about 60 percent of Vovchansk and are fighting house-to-house to defend the border town in northeastern Kharkiv region from Russian attacks, officials said in the most detailed public assessment of the battle to date.

Capturing Vovchansk would be Moscow's most significant gain since it opened a new front in the northern part of Kharkiv region earlier this month.

Russia's push in Kharkiv with assaults in Vovchansk and Lyptsi forced Ukraine to send in reinforcements, stretching its troops along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line in the east and south.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions on military support for Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in the latest public display of support for Ukraine by its Western partners.