Russia practises nuclear-capable missile strikes – Defence Ministry

RUSSIA,ISRAEL,UN: Russia on Wednesday said its forces had practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, amid Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

The announcement came on the 70th day of Moscow’s military action in the pro-Western country, with thousands killed and more than 13 million displaced in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

After sending troops to Ukraine in late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made thinly veiled threats hinting at a willingness to deploy Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.

During Wednesday’s war games in the enclave on the Baltic Sea located between EU members Poland and Lithuania, Russia practised simulated “electronic launches” of nuclear-capable Iskander mobile ballistic missile systems, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised for remarks made by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who claimed Adolf Hitler may have had “Jewish blood”, Israel said on Thursday.

Lavrov’s comments sparked outrage in Israel, which has sought to maintain ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister accepted President Putin’s apology for Lavrov’s remarks and thanked him for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust,” Bennett’s office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, The United Nations and several countries called Thursday for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with little mention of reviving the two countries’ apparently stalled peace talks.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a Security Council meeting organized by the United States.

“It must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world,” he added. – INDIA TODAY, NDTV