Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday monitored drills by the country’s strategic nuclear forces, involving multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, in a show of force amid heightened tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Mr Putin that the exercise was intended to simulate a “massive nuclear strike” by Russia in retaliation for a nuclear attack on the country.
The maneuvers followed the warning of the President of Russia on his willingness to use “all available means” to repel attacks on Russian territory in clear reference to the country’s nuclear arsenals.
During Wednesday’s drills, an intercontinental land-based ballistic missile was tested from the Plesetsk launch site in the northwest of the country. A Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea also launched a missile at the Kura firing range in the far east of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and Tu-95 strategic cruise missiles at training targets .
The Kremlin said in a statement that all tasks set for the drill had been completed and all missiles that had been tested had hit their designated targets.
The Russian training took place as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held its own annual nuclear drills in northwest Europe, which will run until October 30. The exercises dubbed Steadfast Noon involve about 60 aircraft, including long-range US B-52 bombers and fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but do not involve live bombs.
Russian maneuvers with land, sea and air components of the nuclear triad take place every year to train the country’s nuclear forces and show their readiness. A previous such exercise took place a few days before Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine.
The Biden administration said Tuesday that Russia has announced plans to hold routine exercises of its nuclear capabilities. The Pentagon and the US State Department claimed that Russia had complied with the terms of the latest arms control agreement between the United States and Russia by notifying Washington of the upcoming tests.
The Russian nuclear drill comes amid warnings from Moscow of an alleged Ukrainian plot to detonate a radioactive device commonly known as a “dirty bomb” in a false flag attack to blame Russia for it.
Mr. Putin himself again mentioned the “dirty bomb” on Wednesday. “We are aware of plans to use the so-called dirty bomb for provocations,” he said.
Minister Shoigu also called his Chinese and Indian counterparts on Wednesday to discuss the baseless allegation, which Ukraine and its Western allies have firmly rejected.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on Twitter that he had remarked to Mr Shoigu that “the nuclear option should not be used by any party, as the prospect of the use of nuclear weapons or radiation goes against the fundamental principles of humanity”.
The Ukrainian government has indicated that it suspects Russia of planning its own false flag operation.