American scientists have counted more than 4,000 tactical and strategic nuclear weapons in the Russian arsenal

Against the backdrop of the retreat of the Russian army in some parts of the front, Vladimir Putin's rhetoric about the use of nuclear weapons is intensifying. Although he has been talking about it since the end of February, when the missiles were put on high alert. Meanwhile, the Federation of American Scientists has calculated how many nuclear weapons Russia has.

Here's What We Know

Of course, none of the experts can give an exact number. But scientists estimate that Russia has more than 4,000 tactical and strategic nuclear weapons. Specifically, 1,912 tactical warheads, 1,185 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 800 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The Washington Post believes that the Iskander missile system is the most likely to be used as a nuclear weapon because it has the greatest chance of reaching its target. But the Russian army has no more than a hundred such ballistic missiles in its arsenal.

In addition, the scientists concluded that the Russian space forces have about 580 tactical nuclear weapons. These include air-to-surface cruise missiles and gravity bombs, which can be delivered by supersonic aircraft like the Tu-22.

Tactical nuclear is stored in special facilities around the country. This means it has to be retrieved and transported to the launch site. Such a procedure can take days, meaning U.S. intelligence agencies will be able to track the movement, unlike strategic nuclear weapons, which can be launched in minutes.

Source: WP