(Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin attended on Wednesday the training of his strategic deterrent forces, troops responsible for responding to threats including in the event of nuclear war, the Kremlin announced.
Posted at 10:38 a.m.
“Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, the land, sea and air strategic deterrent forces conducted training and practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles were carried out,” the Kremlin said in a statement. .
A ballistic missile was notably fired at the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, and another from the waters of the Barents Sea in the Arctic. The exercise also involved Tu-95 long-range aircraft.
“The tasks set during the strategic deterrence training exercise were completed in full, with all missiles hitting their target,” the Kremlin continued.
Russian “strategic” forces, in their broad definition, are designed to respond to threats including in the event of nuclear war. They are equipped with intercontinental range missiles, long range strategic bombers, submarines, surface ships and naval aviation.
These exercises take place in the midst of the Russian offensive in Ukraine and the crisis with the West. Russian officials have repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons in the event of an existential threat to the Russian state.