Russia has been practicing nuclear strikes on Ukraine for two years - analyst

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"There is good and bad news. The bad news is that starting from the first strikes of a full-scale attack, the Russians are practicing tactical nuclear strikes. The good news is that these are not nuclear exercises in the sense that they would be in reality. It is important to understand that there are dual-use combat systems for which nuclear warheads may exist, such systems can be from artillery to air bombs, many things can happen. Every time a Kh-105, Kh-555, Kh-59 missile, Iskander, Kalibr, every time a Su-24 or Su-34 aircraft takes off, they can theoretically carry nuclear weapons," explained Yizhak.

According to him, any such strike by Russia may include an element of planning to strike a nuclear warhead.

"The good news is that since the end of the Cold War, an international system has been created that separates nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons themselves, from their carriers, and they are stored separately. Therefore, whenever our partners say that they see no signs of Russia's preparations for a nuclear strike, it is true, they see no signs that a certain central storage facility is open, that nuclear weapons have been taken out of it, that control systems in nuclear forces have been deployed," the analyst of the National Institute for Strategic Studies emphasized.

Yizhak is convinced that when Russia announces nuclear exercises, it means that they are simulating equipping some of their carriers with nuclear weapons.

"From what is known, they will not equip real nuclear weapons, but they will equip mock-ups and now, east of Moscow, at one of these warehouses in the Kaluga region, Iskander-M and Kinzhal (Kh-47M2 - ed.), it seems they are conducting exercises there with nuclear warheads. And the things that have been flying and shooting at us have been practicing nuclear strikes for two years now, but this does not mean that there is such a risk," he summarized.

• On May 10, it was reported that facilities that could potentially store nuclear weapons were being built in the city of Osipovichi in the Republic of Belarus, located about 190 km from the Ukrainian border.
• As of May 17, the United States has not recorded any signs that Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, but it continues to closely monitor the actions of the Russians.
• On May 21, it became known that Russia began the first stage of the exercise in the Southern Military District with practical training and use of tactical nuclear weapons.