Amid heightened tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw drills of the nation’s strategic nuclear forces that involved numerous practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles.
The drill was designed to mimic a “massive nuclear strike” by Russia in reprisal for a nuclear attack on Russia, according to Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, who informed Putin of this.
The actions followed Putin’s warning that he was prepared to defend Russia’s territory with “all means available,” a clear allusion to the nation’s nuclear arsenals.
During rehearsals, a Yars land-based intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired from the northern Plesetsk launch facility on Wednesday.
A Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea launched a Sineva ICBM at the Kura firing range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Tu-95 strategic bombers also fired cruise missiles at mock targets as part of the drill.
All of the goals assigned for the exercise were completed, according to a statement from the Kremlin, and every test-fired missile found its target.
To train and show the readiness of the nation’s nuclear forces, such exercises involving the land, sea, and air parts of the Russian nuclear triad have been conducted annually. A similar drill was born in the past, only days before Putin launched troops into Ukraine.
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that Russia had given notice of its intention to conduct routine nuclear capability drills. Pentagon and the U.S.
According to the State Department, Russia informed Washington of the impending tests following the rules of the previous weapons control agreement between the two countries.
The Russian nuclear drill occurs as Moscow issues warnings over a rumored Ukrainian plot to explode a radioactive device known as a “dirty bomb” in an attempt to frame Russia.
On Wednesday, Putin reiterated his assertion about the dirty bomb. He declared, “We are aware of the preparations to utilize the ‘dirty bomb’ for provocations.
The Russian military minister, Shoigu, spoke with his counterparts in China and India on Wednesday to address the accusation, which Ukraine and its Western allies have vehemently denied.
The Ukrainian administration has claimed that it believes Russia is preparing a false flag operation.
Authorities in Poland, Ukraine’s western neighbor, declared that they were closely observing Russia’s movements to get ready for any possible chemical or nuclear weapons use.
According to military losses in Ukraine, the Kremlin “may go for nuclear or chemical weapons,” according to deputy defense minister Marcin Ociepa.
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