The Norwegian intelligence service had to issue additional clarifications to its annual report after a number of media outlets, due to incorrect translation, published materials that the surface ships of the Russian navy began to go to sea with tactical nuclear weapons.
The Norwegian portal The Barents Observer, commenting on the report, called it "sensational news", noting that the report also explains that during the Soviet era, warships of the Northern Fleet regularly went to sea with tactical nuclear weapons, but such cases have been known since the Cold War did not have.
The news drew the attention of military experts, who note that this is a translation error and no changes in the deployment of nuclear weapons have occurred. In particular, Pavel Podvig, an expert on nuclear security at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, writes about this, publishing clarifications from Norwegian intelligence, which says:
“As a result of the war in Ukraine, there is a weakening of conventional defense capabilities. This means that Russia's strategic weapons are becoming increasingly important. In this context, the strategic submarines of the Northern Fleet are a key potential, since they are armed with nuclear weapons. We do not see any changes in the armament of the Russian surface ships of the Northern Fleet.”
In turn, an expert on defense policy and the military-industrial complex Pavel Luzin notes that submarines can carry nuclear weapons, and this is a well-known fact.
“Yes, strategic missile submarines carry nuclear weapons while on duty, and nuclear submarines with cruise missiles and some ships of the Northern Fleet are intended, among other things, to be used as carriers of tactical nuclear weapons, but this is just a known fact that the Norwegians rightly cite in specific context and to substantiate specific conclusions,” writes Luzin.
There are no specific treaties to ban the deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons on ships, but the United States and Russia have mutual voluntary unilateral agreements in 1991-1992. The United States promised to eliminate naval TNW. Russia declares that all types of nuclear weapons are concentrated in central national storage facilities.