Russian exercises come just over a week after NATO held its own nuclear deterrence exercise, called Steadfast Noon
Russia’s strategic nuclear forces carried out a readiness test overseen by the country’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.
“Today, we are carrying out a planned — I want to emphasize, planned — exercise of command and control of nuclear forces,” Putin said in a video conference with senior military officials.
The Russian Defense Ministry indicated that the exercises involved all three components of the nuclear triad: land, sea and air.
Videos shared by state military television channel Zvezda showed the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and a Sineva ballistic missile fired from the Bryansk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea.
The Tu-95MS long-range bombers also fired air-launched cruise missiles, the Defense Ministry said. The Kremlin added that the exercises tested the readiness of military command and control systems and the operational skills of personnel, stressing that all objectives were achieved.
Russia conducts routine readiness exercises as part of its nuclear deterrent. During a similar exercise last October, Putin pointed out that Russia’s nuclear arsenal “allows us to achieve strategic deterrence goals and maintain nuclear parity and the balance of power at the global level.”
The following month, Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine, two days after then-President Joe Biden gave Ukraine approval to attack targets inside Russia with US-made weapons.
In statements on Wednesday, Russia’s deputy foreign minister mentioned the New START treaty, an agreement that came into force in 2011, in which the US and Russia committed to limiting their nuclear weapons arsenals.
Putin inspects the exercise as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. AP
Under the terms of the treaty, both countries had seven years to comply with limits set on the number of intercontinental-range nuclear weapons they can have. The treaty expires in February 2026.
“If the US rejects the New START proposal, there will be a complete vacuum in the area of nuclear weapons limitations and a growing nuclear threat,” warned Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
“Russia must be convinced of the sustainability of the US administration in abandoning its hostile stance,” Ryabkov stressed, according to the news agency.
The Russian comments about the US come at a time when plans for a meeting between Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, are on hold, with several officials revealing to CNN that the expected diplomatic meeting in Budapest, Hungary, will no longer take place – at least for now.
Trump said Tuesday he didn’t want the meeting to be “a waste of time.” The former president hinted that he may still meet with the Russian leader, but indicated that this is no longer a priority.
The Russian exercises also come just over a week after NATO held its own nuclear deterrence exercise, called Steadfast Noon.
In a statement, the alliance clarified that the exercise was “not related to any current global event.”
Around 70 aircraft from 14 allied nations took part in the exercise, according to the statement, operating from air bases in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Denmark.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted that the exercise was carried out “because it helps us ensure that our nuclear deterrent remains as credible, safe and effective as possible”.
*Kristen Holmes, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed to this article
