The Kremlin said on Wednesday that "in-depth dialogue" was the way to reduce rising tensions between Russia and the West, including in the nuclear sphere, but that "the collective West" was refusing to engage despite the potential dangers.

Russia's war in Ukraine has seen East-West ties hit their most dangerous moment since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and Russia's defense ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had started the first stage of exercises ordered by President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons.

Nuclear analysts say the exercises by Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, are designed as a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from wading more deeply into the war in Ukraine. Western countries have provided weapons and intelligence to Kyiv but have refrained from sending troops.

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Responding on Wednesday to a question about the risk of a nuclear conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said escalating tensions in Europe and active conflicts in various global regions were undermining stability and predictability.

"The further escalation of these tensions is potentially dangerous, including in the nuclear sphere," Peskov told a news briefing.

"The situation requires in-depth dialogue in order to use political and diplomatic methods to seek ways out of this tense situation. But in-depth dialogue among the main players is rejected by the countries of the so-called collective West," he said.

Prosecutors in Mexico say they have found the bodies of four men and two women piled up on a street in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco. 

The victims, who were strangled and had their hands tied behind their backs, were discovered late Monday. The killings remain under investigation and their identities have not been released. 

Last week, five dismembered bodies were found scattered on a street in Acapulco, with one of the victims being a candidate for a town council seat in the nearby town of Coyuca de Benítez. 

Mexican drug gangs frequently kill their victims by asphyxiation, either by strangling them or wrapping duct tape or plastic bags around their heads, according to The Associated Press. 

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Acapulco is still reeling after being hit by Category 5 Hurricane Otis in October last year, which left 52 dead and damaged numerous hotels along its beachfront. 

In early April, Eduardo Chávez, the head of municipal traffic police in Acapulco, was found shot dead in the city. 

Drug cartels in Mexico often force bus and taxi drivers to work for them and may have been angered by traffic stops of such vehicles, the AP reports. Videos reportedly posted on social media in March showed drug gang enforcers brutally beating bus drivers in Acapulco for failing to act as lookouts for the cartel. 

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The month before, the strangled bodies of two men were found at the popular Condesa beach there. 

The U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Guerrero State, where Acapulco is located, "due to crime." 

"Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero," the State Department warns. "Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents have been victims of kidnapping in previous years." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.