Moscow says it has the right to deploy nukes in Crimea
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Moscow reserves the right to deploy nuclear weapons to any of its regions, including Crimea. Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the ministry's department on arms control, made this statement today in response to a question from a Ukrainian journalist.
“Crimea is a part of Ukraine for you. For me, it’s a part of the Russian Federation. Speaking as a Russian diplomat, I can tell you that Russia has the right to deploy nuclear weapons to any part of its territory, if it’s deemed necessary,” Ulyanov said, adding that he has no knowledge of any nukes currently in Crimea or of future plans to deploy such weapons to the peninsula.
“I don’t know anything about the presence of nuclear weapons in Crimea today, and I know nothing about plans for deployment of such weapons in the future, but Russia operates on the understanding that it has the right to do so, though Kiev of course feels otherwise,” Ulyanov noted.
- In February, Vladimir Putin’s regional representative in Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, claimed Russia has transformed the peninsula into an impregnable fortress, saying unprecedented measures have been taken to bolster Crimea’s defenses.
- In late 2014, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Crimea has formed a self-contained military force composed of seven formations and eight units. There are S-300 surface-to-air missile systems deployed in Crimea, as well as fighter jets, assault and army aircraft, and transport planes.