Putin observes Russian strategic nuclear forces exercises

Russia has held a strategic nuclear force exercise to practice a massive retaliatory counterstrike against the enemy, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on the Rossiya-24 round-the-clock television news channel on Wednesday.

“In accordance with the Russian Armed Forces’ training schedule an exercise is being held to practice command and control of the Armed Forces, including the tasks of carrying out a massive nuclear strike by the strategic nuclear forces in retaliation for the enemy’s nuclear strike,” Shoigu said in a report to President Vladimir Putin.

As part of the training, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome and a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea at the Kura test site in Kamchatka. Two Tu-95MS long-range planes were involved in the exercise. Both fired cruise missiles. According to the Kremlin’s website, all tasks were completed in full and all missiles hit their targets, confirming the expected characteristics.