Russia Surpasses US in Nuclear Weapons Technology as Putin Blames US for Moscow Takeover, NATO "Scared"

Crisis in Ukraine has sparked even more controversies as Russia accuses the United States of pushing for regime change in Moscow. Tension across the globe has also been rising following the country's aggressive military mobilizations on Ukraine with recent evaluations saying that Russia may now be at par, perhaps even beyond, the nuclear capabilities of the West. Are Vladimir Putin and his country a rising threat?

Last September 1, 2014, a report from the US State Department claimed that in 40 years and for the first time following the USSR collapse, Russia achieved strategic nuclear weapons' parity with the United States. More importantly, Washington said that Moscow may have regained a status similar to the mid-70′s Sovient Union. To be exact, the State Department revealed that Russia now has 528 carriers of strategic nuclear weapons capable of carrying 1,643 warheads. The United States, as per the report, manages 794 vehicles including 1,652 nuclear warheads. 

The report considers Russia's weapons advanced than US primarily because it guarantees parity on warheads with a fewer strategic nuclear weapons' carrier. The gap may even widen in the future considering the promise of Russian defense officials to add new generation missiles to Russia's SNF. 

The reportedly growing military power of Russia injects more tension as its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia attacks the West's sanctions on the country. According to the minister (via CNN): "As for the concept behind the use of coercive measures, the West is making it clear it does not want to try to change the policy of the Russian Federation ... they want to change the regime -- practically no one denies this." This reflects the waning ties between the United States and several European nations with Russia. These countries condemned Russia's move on Ukraine such as sending troops to the region to overthrow Ukrainian government forces. 

CNN also reported that Moscow has been vocal about its support to the rebels in Ukraine even sending aid convoys. However, the region did deny being militarily involved. Reuters' report, on other hand, demonstrates new lows in country relations for Russia. In order to pressure Russia in its involvement with Ukraine, the European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on the country. Reuters quoted Putin: "We understand the fatality of an 'Iron Curtain' for us." 

"We will not go down this path in any case and no one will build a wall around us. That is impossible!" 

Ukraine has been a source of tension for both Russia and the United States since the Cold War. Fatalities in the region have reached 4,300 people since chaos erupted around mid-April. Academic director at the German government's Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin also noted the impact of Russia's move in Ukraine to NATO. 

"The rapid mobilization of 20,000 to 40,000 Russian troops at the Ukrainian border scared the hell out of NATO," Bloomberg quoted the director.

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