Overview

• President Trump announced on August 1 that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to reposition in “appropriate regions” to counter what he called Medvedev’s “highly provocative” veiled nuclear threat.
• The Pentagon refused to provide any details of new submarine movements; the White House also declined to comment on the order.
• Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, had invoked the Cold War “Dead Hand” automated nuclear strike system in an online warning against U.S. ultimatums.
• Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky said U.S. submarines are already tracked by Moscow; he asserted there was no need for a countermeasure from the Security Council.
• The submarine warning coincides with a hastened 10-day deadline set by Trump for Russia to accept a Ukraine ceasefire or face sanctions on its oil buyers.