Russia to focus on building nuclear arms infrastructure in ‘23

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the country will pay special attention to building infrastructure for its nuclear forces in 2023.

In televised comments, Shoigu said that Russia would also work to improve the combat capabilities of its missile forces and that facilities were being built to accommodate new missile systems. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons worldwide, with approximately 6,000 warheads.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed territory seized by Russia in Ukraine under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella, warning that he is prepared to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity” by all available means. The United States says it has warned the Russian government about the consequences of any use of nuclear munitions.

The United States and Russia were due to hold talks in Cairo this week on their existing New START treaty, which limits the number of nuclear warheads each can deploy.

But the Russian government pulled out on the eve of the meaning, accusing the United States of toxic anti-Russian behavior and trying to manipulate the New START treaty to its advantage.

Interfax quoted Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying that facilities were being built to accommodate new missile systems.