Could Russia use its low-yield nuclear artillery projectiles?

PANAGYURISHTE, BULGARIA — Let’s recall – on January 20, after a meeting at the Ramstein base, a decision was made to deliver Western tanks to Ukraine. These are Leopard 2 [Germany], Challenger 2 [UK], and Abrams [US].

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A few days later, Moscow reacted to the announced alleged tank deliveries to Kyiv. The Kremlin’s reaction, however, focused on the ammunition these tanks can use. Most notably the German Leopard 2 tank. German tanks can fire sub-caliber armor-piercing shells with uranium cores. Russia has announced that the use of these munitions against Russian troops would be considered “dirty nuclear bombs”.

“We warn the Western sponsors of the Kyiv military machine not to encourage nuclear provocations and blackmail,” the head of the Russian delegation, Mr. Konstantin Gavrilov, said at the time in Vienna at the OSCE Forum on Military Security and Arms Control. Mr. Gavrilov recalled the contamination of areas in Iraq and Yugoslavia after the use of this type of projectile. “In the case of supplying Kyiv with such projectiles for NATO’s heavy military equipment, we will consider this as the use of dirty nuclear bombs against Russia with all the ensuing consequences,” Gavrilov said.

The Pentagon ordered depleted uranium munitions

An investigation of the Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaitanjieva is causing anxiety. According to her reports, the Pentagon announced a federal order for the supply of depleted uranium munitions, according to documents published in the US government’s Federal Procurement Register.

The ammunition is for arming the Abrams tanks. Such depleted uranium munitions were already used by the US in the wars in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq despite the severe consequences of radiation for the local population. The White House declined to say whether it would send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine.

According to the documents, on December 14 last year, the Pentagon announced an order for the production of M829A4 Cartridges, 120mm, Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot with Tracer [APFSDS-T]. The documents state that these munitions contain depleted uranium and will be used for the Abrams tanks. The deadline for responding to the announcement expired a week ago, on January 18.

Russian stock from TNW

Apparently, many have already forgotten that Russia is armed not only with strategic nuclear weapons, such as ICBMs. I think it’s no secret that Russia has a large stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons [TNW], including low-yield nuclear artillery munitions.

These are special small-capacity nuclear munitions designed for effective use behind enemy lines and can be used by line artillery systems.

The lightest and most compact types of Russian tactical nuclear weapons are special artillery shells of 152 and 203 mm caliber. According to several Western experts, Russia has the world’s largest stockpile of this type of weapon.

As targets for tactical nuclear weapons, the military command may consider a variety of enemy targets, which may include massive troop concentrations, both in areas and in positions, as well as headquarters, command posts, launcher positions, and various complexes, military and double -use of facilities, etc.

Russian low-yield thermonuclear weapons

Also in service in Russia are low-power tactical thermonuclear weapons such as ballistic missiles and cruise missiles with a nuclear warheads. The power of the warhead of such weapons can reach up to 50 kilotons. This is 2 times more than the two American bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

BulgarianMilitary.com reminds you that the production, deployment, and use of tactical nuclear weapons are not limited by any documents and rules – except for the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Also, there is no need for Russia to report its tactical nuclear weapons to anyone.

Whose “red line” will be crossed?

Russia has the right to produce, maintain on standby and, if necessary, use the necessary amount of tactical nuclear weapons. It is quite possible that if the West decides to supply Ukraine with its ammunition, considered by Moscow to be “dirty nuclear bombs”, the Russian Federation will take reciprocal actions. I.e. the use of low-yield nuclear artillery projectiles.

When this limit is crossed, the use of more powerful nuclear weapons, including short- and medium-range cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, as well as tactical ballistic nuclear missiles, becomes increasingly possible with each passing day.

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