Russia drill simulates "massive nuclear strike," Moscow says

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Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Tuesday launched a monolithic workout of nan country's atomic forces featuring rocket launches successful a simulation of a retaliatory strike, arsenic he continued to flex nan country's atomic musculus amid spiraling tensions pinch nan West complete Ukraine.

Speaking successful a video telephone pinch subject leaders, Putin said that nan drills would simulate apical officials' action successful utilizing atomic weapons and see launches of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reported that nan workout is intended to believe "strategic violative forces launching a monolithic atomic onslaught successful consequence to a atomic onslaught by nan enemy."

Putin, who has many times brandished nan atomic sword arsenic he seeks to deter nan West from ramping up support for Ukraine, emphasized connected Tuesday that Russia's atomic arsenal remains a "reliable guarantor of nan country's sovereignty and security."

"Taking into relationship increasing geopolitical tensions and emerging caller threats and risks, it's important for america to person modern strategical forces that are ever fresh for combat," he said, reaffirming that Russia sees atomic weapons usage arsenic "the ultimate, utmost measurement of ensuring its security."

Putin noted that Moscow will proceed to modernize its atomic forces, deploying caller missiles that person a higher precision, quicker motorboat times and accrued capabilities to flooded rocket defenses.

As portion of Tuesday's drills, nan subject test-fired a Yars intercontinental ballistic rocket from nan Plesetsk motorboat pad astatine nan Kura testing scope connected nan Kamchatka Peninsula, nan Defense Ministry said. The Novomoskovsk and Knyaz Oleg atomic submarines test-fired ICBMs from nan Barents Sea and nan Sea of Okhotsk, while nuclear-capable Tu-95 strategical bombers carried retired believe launches of long-range cruise missiles.

The ministry said that each nan missiles reached their designated targets.

Last month, nan Russian leader warned nan U.S. and NATO friends that allowing Ukraine to usage Western-supplied longer-range weapons for strikes heavy wrong Russia would put NATO astatine warfare pinch his country.

He reinforced nan connection by announcing a new type of nan atomic doctrine that considers a accepted onslaught connected Russia by a nonnuclear federation that is supported by a atomic powerfulness to beryllium a associated onslaught connected his state - a clear informing to nan U.S. and different friends of Kyiv.

Putin besides declared that nan revised archive envisages imaginable atomic weapons usage successful lawsuit of a monolithic aerial attack, holding nan doorway unfastened to a imaginable atomic consequence to immoderate aerial battle - an ambiguity intended to deter nan West.

Tuesday's maneuvers travel a bid of different drills of Russia's atomic forces.

Earlier this year, nan Russian subject held a associated atomic workout pinch Moscow's state Belarus, which has hosted immoderate of Russia's tactical atomic weapons.

In March 2023, aft nan U.K.'s determination to supply Ukraine pinch armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium, Putin said he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons connected nan territory of Ukraine's neighbour Belarus. That country's president, a adjacent state of Putin's, past claimed — without offering grounds — that Russian atomic weapons "three times much powerful" than those utilized connected Japan by nan U.S. successful World War II had been deployed successful Belarus

What are tactical atomic weapons and really mightiness Russia usage them?

Also successful March 2023, Putin said that Russia's atomic triad — its three-pronged arsenal of weapons launched from land, oversea and aerial — was "much more" precocious than that of nan United States.

"Our triad, nan atomic triad, it is much modern than immoderate different triad. Only we and nan Americans really person specified triads. And we person precocious overmuch much here," Putin said successful an question and reply connected authorities TV.