The United States has carried out multiple surveillance flights this week around Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave located on the Baltic Sea coast. The American spy planes are likely assessing Moscow’s nuclear weapons activity as the two sides step up threats and warnings over the ongoing war in Ukraine.

White House Increasing Surveillance of Russian Exclave as Nuclear Tensions Heighten

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U.S. steps up intel, surveillance after Putin’s nuke threats

“We haven’t seen any evidence at this time that Russia will use nuclear weapons,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Kelsey. “We take these threats very seriously, but we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture at this time.”

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Intelligence agencies, the official said, are confident that Russia would not risk an all-out nuclear war by launching a massive attack on Ukraine or NATO countries.