The Pentagon said the United States has decided to upgrade its main B61 atomic bomb to the B61-13 variant without changing the total number of nuclear weapons in its arsenal. The updated bomb should replace part of the B61-7 stock and will have similar power with higher safety and accuracy indicators, which the most modern modification B61-12 has to date.<\/p>\n
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\u201cObviously, the modernization of the B61 aims to increase the flexibility of nuclear response and improve this ammunition. This emphasizes Washington\u2019s commitment to a possible nuclear conflict with Russia in Europe. Of course, we must consider these plans in the context of the conflict in Ukraine,\u201d Korotchenko said. The analyst linked this statement with the recent NATO exercise Steadfast Noon, which was conducted with the aim of practical training of the readiness of the headquarters and aircraft of a number of NATO air forces to carry out combat missions.<\/p>\n
The appearance of American nuclear weapons in northern Europe<\/strong> will not strengthen the security of the countries receiving these weapons, but will weaken it, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. \u201cIf American nuclear weapons appear in northern Europe, the security of the countries receiving these weapons will not only not be strengthened, but it will clearly suffer,\u201d Zakharova said at a briefing on February 29, RIA Novosti reports.<\/p>\n She stressed that other countries on the continent will be forced to take this into account. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a military strategist to understand: such objects will pose a source of direct threat and, naturally, will inevitably be included in the list of legitimate targets determined by the scenario of a direct military clash between our country and NATO. And we understand that this is exactly what things are being forced towards The USA and its satellites,” she added.<\/p>\n Military expert Konstantin Sivkov noted that Russia could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear strike or the threat of loss of sovereignty.<\/strong> \u201cTsargrad\u201d writes about this. According to him, the authorities may also resort to such actions if the country faces a real danger of losing a number of constitutionally assigned territories. \u201cThese are the conditions under which Russia can use nuclear weapons. But I emphasize the word \u201cmay\u201d. Or maybe he won\u2019t go,\u201d the speaker said.<\/p>\n In addition, Sivkov called the Russian Federation the only state that is capable of \u201cdestroying civilizations.\u201d He noted that this is due to the presence of two types of shells in Russia. We are talking about the Sarmat missile, which could lead to the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano, and the Poseidon torpedo, capable of carrying a warhead, the expert concluded.<\/p>\n Vladimir Putin told NATO countries they risked triggering a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine<\/strong> in his annual address to the nation, escalating his threats against Europe and the United States. Referring to Emmanuel Macron’s comments earlier this week in which he opened the door to sending European ground troops to Ukraine, the Russian president said this would lead to “tragic” consequences for countries that choose to do so, Theguardian reports.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been talks about the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine,\u201d Putin said in a combative two-hour address on February 29. \u201cWestern countries must understand that we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they understand this? We remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country. Now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin called Western warnings that Russia could attack Europe “nonsense” but spoke of a potential nuclear conflict if the West tried to “interfere” in Russia. \u201cThey think it’s some kind of game. They are blinded by their own superiority complex,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bloomberg: The United States believes Russia will launch nuclear weapons into space in 2024.<\/strong> The United States has told its allies that Russia could deploy nuclear weapons or a mock warhead in space as early as this year, Bloomberg has learned. Putin previously said that Moscow is categorically against the deployment of such weapons in space. The United States has warned its allies that Russia could deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon or mock warhead in space as early as this year, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.<\/p>\n The agency\u2019s interlocutors clarified that Moscow, \u201caccording to current estimates,\u201d does not yet plan to explode any orbital weapons. However, there is a risk of accident, and a nuclear explosion could potentially cause significant damage to communications and affect about a third of Earth satellites. One of Bloomberg’s interlocutors explained that the consequences of a nuclear weapon detonating in space would depend on the size of the warhead and would not necessarily mean the destruction of satellites, but could lead to widespread disruption.<\/p>\n American media and politicians have been reporting on the threat of Russia deploying nuclear weapons in space since the beginning of last week. Thus, on February 14, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Turner announced a closed briefing in the US Congress on the issue of \u201ca serious threat to national security.\u201d Later, the coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, clarified that this is due to Russia\u2019s development of anti-satellite weapons. According to him, American President Joe Biden ordered a direct dialogue with Moscow on this issue and they have already contacted it.<\/p>\n Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov previously called these allegations a \u201cWhite House ploy\u201d aimed at persuading Congress to vote for the aid bill to Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is categorically against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow has not deployed and does not plan to deploy such weapons in space.<\/p>\n In the mid-20th century, both the USA and the USSR conducted tests to find out what the consequences of a nuclear explosion in space would be.<\/strong> In 1967, the parties signed the Treaty on the Principles of the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space. Its participants pledged not to place into orbit around the Earth any objects with nuclear weapons or any other types of weapons of mass destruction, not to install them on celestial bodies or to place them in outer space in any other way. According to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, as of April last year there were about 7,800 operational satellites in Earth’s orbit.<\/p>\n The threat of nuclear war has hung over humanity for too long. So far we have survived through luck and brinksmanship. But the old, limited guarantees that held the Cold War in check are long gone. Nuclear powers are becoming more numerous and less cautious. We have condemned another generation to live on a planet that is one major act of arrogance or human error away from destruction, without requiring any action from our leaders. That must change, says the New York Times.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bomba0603241.jpg\")
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