Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Russia carried out a large-scale strategic nuclear forces exercise this week, with President Vladimir Putin personally overseeing the drill from the Kremlin’s situation center, according to an official statement published on the Kremlin’s website.
The exercise, described as a routine training operation, involved all components of Russia’s nuclear triad—land-based missile systems, strategic bombers, and submarines.
“Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, a training exercise of the strategic nuclear forces was carried out involving their land, sea, and air elements,” the Kremlin said.
Speaking ahead of the drill, President Putin described the operation as “planned nuclear forces training,” emphasizing that it was part of Russia’s regular military preparedness schedule.
The primary objective of the exercise, according to Russian defense officials, was to assess the readiness of the country’s nuclear command infrastructure and test the operational capabilities of personnel tasked with nuclear force control.
As part of the drill, Russia launched a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the country’s northwest, targeting the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East. In addition, Tu-95MS strategic bombers launched air-launched cruise missiles, while the nuclear-powered submarine Bryansk fired a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea.
The Kremlin reported that all elements of the exercise were successfully completed, and all objectives were achieved.
The timing of the drill comes amid heightened global tensions and increased scrutiny of nuclear posturing by major powers. While the Kremlin framed the exercise as routine, it is likely to draw attention from NATO and Western governments, particularly given ongoing confrontations involving Ukraine and broader concerns over strategic stability in Europe.
