Norway says Russian Navy has launched nuclear-armed ships

Ships of the Russian Northern Fleet began sailing for the first time in 30 years with tactical nuclear weapons on board, Report informs, citing the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS).

It appears from the document that during the Soviet era, ships of the Northern Fleet equipped with tactical nuclear weapons regularly sailed, but no such case has been known since the Cold War.

According to Norwegian intelligence, "the importance of nuclear weapons has increased significantly" for Russia after the start of a special military operation in Ukraine.

"The central part of the nuclear potential is located on submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet" said the annual report.

The document states that these weapons "pose a particularly serious threat to the options for action" in which NATO countries can participate.