Putin oversees military exercise involving Russian nuclear forces

Reuters: 8. May 2014
Putin oversees military exercise involving Russian nuclear forces

Preparation for large-scale exercises of the Strategic Nuclear Forces under the command of President Vladimir Putin

President Vladimir Putin oversaw test launches of Russian military rockets on Thursday during training exercises held across Russia the day before celebrations of the anniversary of its World War Two victory.

"We are carrying out tests of the readiness of the Russian armed forces. It was announced in November last year," he told journalists at the Defense Ministry, alongside Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

"The exercises will involve all branches of the armed forces across the country," he said.

 ICBM RS-24 Yars (NATO reporting name: SS 27 Mod2)

The training exercises, which are due to include ground troops and artillery as well as the air force, were held during a summit of heads of state of a security bloc made up of former Soviet states.

A military source said the exercises were not connected to events in Ukraine.

Map of active and dismantled missile fields in Russia and the former Soviet Union

The West has accused Russia of using previous military exercises to build up forces along the border with Ukraine after the ousting of former Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich.

Putin said on Wednesday Russia had withdrawn forces from the Ukrainian border.

Associated Press: 8. May 2014
PUTIN OVERSEES RUSSIAN NUCLEAR FORCES EXERCISE



Putin with leaders of several ex-Soviet nations in the Defense Ministry's headquarters while oversaw of the exercise

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday oversaw a military exercise involving Russia's nuclear forces amid escalating tensions over Ukraine.

While Putin said the exercise had been planned back in November, it comes as relations between Russia and the West have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over Ukraine.

Putin, speaking from the Defense Ministry's headquarters where he oversaw the exercise along with leaders of several ex-Soviet nations which are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said that the maneuvers involved the military across the entire Russian territory, including the nation's nuclear forces.

Russian Iskander tactical nuclear missiles

Russian news wires said that the exercises simulated dealing a massive retaliatory nuclear strike in response to an enemy attack. The description of the exercise is unusually blunt, reflecting tensions with the West running high over Ukraine.

As part of the maneuvers, a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia successfully hit a designated target on the Kura testing range on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, the military said.

Two nuclear submarines of the Northern and Pacific Fleets, the Tula and the Podolsk, also fired intercontinental ballistic missiles.