Moscow, Russia. Russia released footage it said showed troops delivering nuclear warheads to mobile Iskander-M missile systems and moving them to launch sites during a major nuclear exercise. The Defence Ministry said the drills practised raising units to the highest combat readiness for the use of nuclear weapons.
Exercise details and scope
In a statement released to state media, the Defence Ministry said the three-day exercise started on Tuesday and is taking place across Russia and Belarus. It said the drills involve 64,000 military personnel, more than 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships and 13 submarines, and would include rehearsing launch procedures for Russian tactical nuclear weapons based in Belarus.
Footage and locations
Video of the training element showed Russian nuclear forces moving in convoy through a heavily forested area, camouflaging their vehicles, and raising a launch tube into firing position. The Defence Ministry did not say where the drills took place.
Context and warnings on NATO risk
The exercise comes as Moscow is engaged in what it says is an existential struggle with the West over Ukraine. On Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the risks of a direct clash between Russia and NATO were increasing due to what he described as a growing narrative in European capitals about the “looming threat of a high-intensity war” with Russia, and said the consequences could be catastrophic.
Iskander-M system and deployments
The Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system code-named “SS-26 Stone” by NATO, replaced the Soviet “Scud” and has a range of up to 500 km (300 miles), with the ability to carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Russian state media has reported that Russia has used the Iskander-M against Ukrainian forces, and Russia has deployed the system in its European exclave of Kaliningrad and in neighbouring Belarus, putting Ukraine and several NATO members within range.
Putin’s nuclear warnings
Throughout the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has issued reminders of Russia’s nuclear capabilities as a warning to the West not to go too far in its support of Kyiv.
How do you assess the risk of escalation from nuclear exercises conducted during the war in Ukraine?