俄罗斯议员指责美国试图通过模拟针对俄罗斯的核打击来实现核战争概念的正常化。
五角大楼上周完成了一次“小规模演习”，其中“俄罗斯决定对北约领土上的一个地点使用低当量有限核武器”，美国部队以“有限的”核反应作为回应。
俄罗斯政治家对演习表示愤怒，指责五角大楼不顾后果地散布核恐惧，莫斯科时报报道。
其中包括亚历山大·谢林，下议院国家杜马国防委员会的第二高级成员。他告诉国营的俄新社，美国的目标是“让人们习惯于像俄罗斯-北约核打击这样不可思议的冲突解决方案。”
“第二个目标是恐吓欧洲人民，并证明美国在他们领土上的基地是安全的保障，”谢林补充道。
国家杜马代表阿列克谢·切帕也表示，演习主要针对美国的欧洲盟友。他描述了这次演习俄新社指出，这是美国的“一次良好的公关活动”，也是唐纳德·特朗普总统政府迫使其盟友增加军费开支的努力的一部分。
上院联邦委员会外交事务委员会的成员谢尔盖·采科夫说，美国军方官员表现得像“病人”联邦委员会国防委员会成员奥尔加·科维蒂打有烙印的据加拿大皇家银行报道，美国是“虚张声势和模仿”的大师。
专家警告说，有限核打击——使用战术核武器——的概念是危险的，因为它破坏了相互保证销毁的概念，并使原子交换更有可能。
特朗普政府已表示有意增加战术核武器的研究和生产，以缩小与俄罗斯的差距。据信，俄罗斯部署了约2000枚此类核弹头。
本月早些时候，五角大楼表示已经在潜艇上部署了至少一枚低当量核弹头。
自特朗普上任以来，核合作一直在恶化。总统退出了议会中程核力量条约该法案禁止射程从310英里到3417英里的地面发射核导弹和常规导弹。美国和俄罗斯现在都已经测试了协议不允许的武器。
另一个里程碑式的协议——新裁武条约—将于2021年失效。俄罗斯已表示将按目前的形式续签协议，但特朗普政府尚未宣布其计划。
该协议将美国和俄罗斯负责部署的战略核弹头和炸弹数量限制在1550枚，并将已部署的具备核能力的洲际弹道导弹、潜艇发射弹道导弹和重型轰炸机数量限制在700架。允许部署和未部署的资产总数为800。
这张档案照片显示了2002年10月14日，一枚非武装民兵二型洲际弹道导弹从加利福尼亚州范登堡空军基地发射。
RUSSIAN POLITICIANS CONDEMN 'SICK' PENTAGON OFFICIALS AFTER NUCLEAR 'MINI-EXERCISE'
Russian lawmakers have accused the U.S. of trying to normalize the concept of nuclear war by staging a mock exercise simulating a nuclear strike against Russia.
The Pentagon completed a "mini-exercise" last week in which "Russia decides to use a low-yield limited nuclear weapon against a site on NATO territory," to which U.S. forces responded with a "limited" nuclear response.
Russian politicians expressed anger at the exercise, accusing the Pentagon of reckless nuclear fear-mongering, The Moscow Times reported.
Among them was Alexander Sherin, the second most senior member of the lower house State Duma's defense committee. He told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that the American goal was to "get the population used to such an inconceivable conflict resolution scenario as a Russian-NATO nuclear strike."
"The second goal is to intimidate Europe's population and justify the presence of American bases on their territory as guarantors of security," Sherin added.
The deputy of the State Duman, Alexey Chepa, also suggested the exercise was primarily aimed at America's European allies. He described the drill as "a good PR campaign" for the U.S., and part of President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to pressure its allies into higher military spending, RIA Novosti noted.
Sergei Tsekov, a member of the upper house Federal Council's foreign affairs committee, said the American military officials were behaving like "sick people." Federal Council defense committee member Olga Kovitdi branded the U.S. a master of "bluffing and imitations," RBC reported.
Experts warned that the limited nuclear strike—using tactical nuclear weapons—concept is dangerous as it undermines the notion of Mutually Assured Destruction, and makes an atomic exchange more likely.
The Trump administration has signaled its intention to increase research into and production of tactical nuclear weapons to close the gap with Russia, which is believed to have some 2,000 such warheads deployed.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said it has deployed at least one low-yield nuclear warhead on a submarine.
Nuclear cooperation has been degrading since Trump came into office. The president withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned ground-launched nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges from 310 miles to 3,417 miles. Both the U.S. and Russia have now tested weapons that would not have been allowed under the accord.
Another landmark agreement—New START—is set to lapse in 2021. Russia has said it will renew the deal in its current form, but the Trump administration is yet to announce its plans.
The deal capped the number of accountable deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs at 1,550 for both the U.S. and Russia and limited the number of deployed nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers to 700. The total allowed number of deployed and non-deployed assets is 800.
This file photo shows the launch of an unarmed Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on October 14, 2002.
