26 October 2023 , 08:37
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Vladimir Putin staged a "massive" drill of a "nuclear strike" on the West today, it has been reported.
The mass-scale exercises involved the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The mock atomic attack also a nuclear submarine and two Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers. A Sineva ballistic missile was also launched from the Barents Sea from the strategic nuclear-powered missile submarine cruiser Tula.
State television showed Putin directing the exercise via video call with top military officials. Russia’s Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said the purpose of the drills is to practice "dealing a massive nuclear strike with strategic offensive forces in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy."
While similar drills are held every autumn, Shoigu’s pointed comments came amid soaring tensions between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin watching an exercise of the country's strategic deterrence forces via video conferencing on Wednesday (Newsflash)Armed forces chief General Valery Gerasimov also told Putin: "As part of the training, Yars mobile ground-based missile systems of the strategic missile forces, Tula strategic submarine of the Northern Fleet, and two strategic long-range missile carriers Tu-95MS, were deployed."
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The Tu-95MS long-range bombers test-fired air-launched cruise missiles. The nuclear-capable Yars missile was aimed at a target on the Kamchatka peninsula in the east of Russia.
The Tu-95s are the world’s only propeller-powered nuclear bombers. The strikes came just hours after the upper house of parliament in Russia voted to rescind the country’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban. The bill to end ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, approved in the lower house last week, will now be sent to Putin for final approval. Putin has said that revoking Russia’s 2000 ratification would "mirror" the stance of the US, which signed but did not ratify the nuclear test ban.
The test ban treaty, adopted in 1996, bans all nuclear explosions anywhere in the world, but the treaty was never fully implemented. In addition to the US, it is yet to be ratified by China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran and Egypt. There are widespread concerns that Russia could move to resume nuclear tests to try to discourage the West from continuing to offer military support to Ukraine. Many Russian hawks have spoken in favour of a resumption of the tests.
Putin has noted that while some experts have argued that it’s necessary to conduct nuclear tests, he hasn’t yet formed an opinion on the issue. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier this month that Moscow will continue to respect the ban and will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does it first.
Meanwhile, The Kremlin has dismissed fresh speculation that Russian President Putin is ill and called rumours that he uses a body double an "absurd hoax". The 71-year-old Russian warmonger reportedly fell ill on Sunday according to claims in the Daily Star, and had to be "resuscitated" before moving to his official residence’s intensive care unit, according to the General SVR Telegram channel, which claims to have Kremlin insiders and regularly alleges Putin is unwell.