Putin Orders To Raise Combat Readiness Of Nuclear Forces

President Vladimir Putin ordered to put Russian deterrence forces on high alert, in response to alleged "aggressive statements" from NATO leaders and what he called "illegitimate" economic sanctions. The decision was announced during Putin's meeting with his Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

• RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Ministry of Defence, defines the strategic deterrence forces as "designed to deter aggression against Russia and its allies, as well as to defeat the aggressor (inflicting defeat on him), including in a war with the use of nuclear weapons."
• The Russian Armed Forces use a four-level system of combat readiness: CONSTANT, ELEVATED, MILITARY DANGER, and FULL. It appears that President Putin ordered to raise combat readiness of nuclear forces to ELEVATED (note that alternative English translations such HIGH or INCREASED are also in use).
• Raising combat readiness level to ELEVATED triggers various logistical activities aiming at increasing the preparedness of selected units to perform a combat mission, while they remain in their areas of permanent deployment. Nonetheless, the precise practical implications of Putin's order was not immediately clear.
• Putin made his announcement at a time when Russian and Ukrainian delegations are heading for talks to be held "without preconditions" on the border between Ukraine and Belarus (Ukrainian President Zelensky said he does "not believe much in the result of this meeting, but let's try").
• The White House denounced Putin's decision as escalatory, while an anonymous U.S. defence official told Reuters that the Pentagon was still trying to figure out what Putin's order means "in tangible terms."
• POLITICO reported, citing Pentagon sources, that the U.S. reached out to Russia with the intention of opening backchannel communication with Moscow "so we can avoid miscalculation,” but "we have not received any response from them in terms of whether they agree, whether they are willing to set something up.”