Russian submarine believed to have set off carrying a nuclear torpedo

According to an Italian news outlet La Repubblica on Sunday, NATO intelligence warned its allies that the Russian submarine K-329 Belgorod, which is carrying the nuclear torpedo Poseidon also dubbed as "weapon of the Apocalypse," is believed to be headed to the Arctic, suggesting a possible nuclear test by Russia.

On top of that, The Times, a British daily newspaper, reported on Monday that a train operated by the Russian Defense Ministry's nuclear munitions division was seen headed to the Ukrainian borders during the weekend. Concerns are rising that President Putin might go as far as to use a nuclear weapon as his disastrous invasion of Ukraine continues to unravel.

Media outlets, including La Repubblica and The Times, warned that Russia might conduct its first test of Poseidon in the Arctic Ocean. Packing an explosion of two megatons, Poseidon is reportedly 100 times or more destructive than "Little Boy", the atomic bomb that wrecked Hiroshima in Japan during World War II.

CNN reported on Monday that the U.S. is considering how to respond to a range of potential scenarios, including fears that Russians could use tactical nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian forces have successfully been retaking Russian-occupied regions such as Kherson and Lyman.


Eun-Taek Lee nabi@donga.com · Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com