MOSCOW, Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday monitored drills of the country’s strategic nuclear forces involving multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, in a show of force amid the heightened tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
reported to 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 Putin’s
warning about his readiness to use “all means available” to fend off attacks on
Russia’s territory in a clear reference to the country’s nuclear arsenals.
During the Russian drills
Wednesday, a Yars land-based intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired
from the northern Plesetsk launch site. A Russian nuclear submarine in the
Barents Sea also launched a Sineva ICBM at the Kura firing range on the
far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, and Tu-95 strategic fired cruise missiles at
practice targets.
The Kremlin said in a
statement that all tasks set for the exercise were fulfilled and all the
missiles that were test-fired reached their designated targets.
The Russian drills came
as NATO was holding its own annual nuclear exercises in
northwestern Europe that will run until Oct. 30. The drills dubbed Steadfast
Noon involve around 60 aircraft, including U.S. long-range B-52 bombers and
fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but do not involve any live
bombs.
Russian maneuvers involving
land, sea and air components of the nuclear triad have taken place on an annual
basis to train the country’s nuclear forces and demonstrate their readiness. A
previous such exercise was held just days before Putin sent troops into
Ukraine.
The Biden administration said
Tuesday that Russia gave notice it intended to stage routine
drills of its nuclear capabilities. The Pentagon and U.S. State Department said
Russia had complied with the terms of the last U.S.-Russia arms control
agreement in notifying Washington of the upcoming tests.
The Russian nuclear exercise
comes amid Moscow’s warnings of a purported Ukrainian plot to detonate a
radioactive device commonly known as a “dirty bomb” in a false flag attack to
blame Russia.
Putin himself repeated the
dirty bomb claim on Wednesday. “We know about the plans to use the so-called
dirty bomb for provocations,” he said.
Shoigu, the Russian defense ministry, also called his Chinese and Indian counterparts Wednesday to discuss the unfounded allegation, which Ukraine and its Western allies have strongly rejected.
India’s defense minister
Rajnath Singh tweeted that he pointed out to Shoigu that “the nuclear option
should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear
or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity.”
The Ukrainian government has
said it suspects Russia is planning its own false flag operation.
Authorities in Poland,
Ukraine’s western neighbor, said they were closely watching Russia’s movements
to prepare for the potential use of nuclear or chemical weapons.
Deputy Defense Minister Marcin
Ociepa charged the Kremlin “may reach for nuclear or chemical weapons” in the
face of military setbacks in Ukraine. - AirforceTIMES
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