In a throwback to Cold War-era tactics designed to raise the hackles of the Trump administration, a leading Russian news show Monday listed the Pentagon and the presidential Maryland retreat at Camp David as leading targets for a hypothetical Russian nuclear strike.
The list of potential targets was unveiled during a news broadcast on state-run media outlet Rossiya Segodnya. During the broadcast, presenter Dmitry Kiselyov displayed a map of the United States, detailed with the rough locations of targets Moscow would likely hit in the event of a nuclear war.
Mr. Kiselyov reportedly holds close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and routinely serves as a media mouthpiece for the Kremlin, Reuters reports.
Along with the Pentagon and Camp David, Mr. Kiselyov identified Fort Ritchie and McClellan Air Force Base — both of which were shuttered nearly two decades ago, and Navy Radio Station Jim Creek in Washington State. Russian officials denied the legitimacy of the target map, saying in a statement it plays no role in the editorial content of state-run broadcasts.
The report comes at a tenuous time in U.S.-Russian relations. Moscow is still fuming over the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces or INF Treaty.
Critics of the administration’s plans argue Mr. Trump’s decision to withdrawal from the INF pact could trigger a new arms race between the U.S., Russia and their respective allies across Europe.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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