Deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Crimea possible - Foreign Ministry
Russia can deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea as the peninsula is part of its territory, Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Foreign Ministry's non-proliferation department, said on Wednesday, TASS reported.
"I have no idea if any nuclear weapons are deployed there now and I am unaware of such plans but Russia can do it," Ulyanov told a news conference.
The Russian Strategic Missile Forces commander Colonel-Geenral Sergey Karakayev said in December that Russia has no intention of deploying Strategic Missile Force units in Crimea.
"This is not necessary," he said. "The range of modern ballistic missiles allows to hit targets in any part of the globe without approaching Russia's borders."
"All missile complexes are deployed deep within Russia where they are protected from the enemy's destruction weapons," Karakayev said.