Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to hold a large-scale exercise of the Kremlin’s nuclear forces on Tuesday, including practice missile launches, as tensions boil over the Ukraine war.
Putin oversaw the drills in a video call with military leaders, as Russian soldiers simulated a nuclear attack using ballistic and cruise missiles.
“Taking into account growing geopolitical tensions and emerging new threats and risks, it’s important for us to have modern strategic forces that are always ready for combat,” the Russian president said.
Despite the show of force, Putin claimed his nation’s nuclear arsenal would only be deployed under an “extremely exceptional measure,” claiming Russia is not interested in starting a “new arms race.”
Tuesday’s drill was the second such exercise this month, with an Oct. 18 event in the Tver region involving the use of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of hitting the US.
Putin said Moscow would continue these drills and modernize its nuclear forces to ensure Russia is capable of firing newer, more precise missiles capable of overcoming other countries’ defense systems.
The nuclear exercises come just a month after Putin warned the US and NATO that war would be inevitable if Ukraine were to use Western-supplied weapons to conduct long-range strikes deep inside Russia.
The Kremlin’s new nuclear doctrine dictates that Russia is clear to use nuclear force should the nation be directly attacked by a non-nuclear country that is supported by a nuclear power — a clear threat to the US and other Kyiv allies.
Russia is the world’s largest nuclear power, with the Kremlin and Washington estimated to hold about 88% of all the nuclear warheads in the world.
Tensions continue to rise in the Ukraine war as Kyiv continues to urge the West to allow it to use its weapons for deeper strikes against the invading Russians, who continue slow but steady advances along the front lines.
The situation has only grown more complicated after NATO and the Pentagon confirmed that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been shipped off to Russia to help in the war effort.
Some of the Pyongyang soldiers have been deployed in the Kursk region, where Ukraine captured several Russian towns after launching a surprise counter-invasion earlier this year.
While the US said it would not impose new limits on Ukraine’s use of American weapons if North Korea joins the war, South Korean officials said Seoul is discussing shipping arms to Kyiv to fight their common foe.
With Post wires
