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Vladimir Putin watched on today as Russia simulated a ‘massive nuclear strike’ with terrifying practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles.
The despot remotely observed the annual exercise, called ‘Grom’ or ‘Thunder’, which uses test launches to put Moscow’s nuclear forces through their paces in a show of force to the West.
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the drills were intended to simulate a retaliatory ‘massive nuclear strike’ by Russia.
The drills involved the test-firing of a Yars land-based intercontinental ballistic missile from the northern Plesetsk launch site and the launch of a Sineva ICBM by a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, just ten miles away from the shores of NATO member Norway.
As part of the exercise, Tu-95 strategic bombers also launched cruise missiles at practice targets.
Footage shows a large nuclear submarine in the water during the simulation that featured multiple drills.
The large team were filmed making preparations for the simulation nuclear strikes, with all wearing uniform as they took part n the annual exercise.
Clips also showed them flicking switches, running up stairs, speaking to each other on radios and monitoring the missiles before they were launched.
As the test began, the Russian Sineva was seen soaring through the air from the water and disappearing into the clouds.
Meanwhile the Yars later shot into the air after switches were flicked and a sound indicated that it was about to go off.
As it tilted upwards and was launched, a huge ball of flames engulfed the sky and left a cloud of smoke in its wake as a loud bang was also heard.
The drills were monitored remotely by Putin, who also spoke to some of his military chiefs after the drills.
Russia rehearsed its response to a nuclear attack on Wednesday in an exercise involving nuclear submarines, strategic bombers and ballistic missiles at a time when tensions are high over a ‘dirty bomb’ allegation it has made against Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday monitored drills of the country’s strategic nuclear forces involving multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles
Russia’s Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during exercises held by the country’s strategic nuclear forces at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
A Russian Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile is fired by the nuclear-powered submarine Tula during today’s exercises
A Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea launched a Sineva ICBM at the Kura firing range on the far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula
Russian President Vladimir Putin remotely observed the annual exercise, called “Grom” or “Thunder”, which uses test launches to put Moscow’s nuclear forces through their paces in a show of force designed to deter and intimidate foes
The manoeuvres followed Putin’s warning about his readiness to use ‘all means available’ to fend off attacks on Russia’s territory in a reference to the country’s nuclear arsenals.
The Kremlin said that all tasks set for the exercise were fulfilled and all the missiles that were test-fired reached their designated targets.
Such drills involving land, sea and air components have taken place on an annual basis to train the country’s nuclear forces and demonstrate their readiness.
The Biden administration said on Tuesday that Russia gave notice it intended to stage routine drills of its nuclear capabilities.
The Pentagon and US State Department said Russia had complied with the terms of the last US-Russia arms control agreement in notifying Washington of the upcoming tests.
As part of the exercise, Tu-95 strategic bombers also launched cruise missiles at practice targets
Russia’s Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile is launched by the nuclear-powered submarine Tula near the coast of Norway
The Russian exercise comes amid Moscow’s warnings of a purported Ukrainian plot to detonate a radioactive device commonly known as a ‘dirty bomb’ in a false flag attack to blame Russia
Test launches of nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles from land and sea, and cruise missiles fired from the air by TU-95MS strategic bombers, had passed off successfully, Russia said
Drills involved the launch of a Sineva ICBM by a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea
Wednesday’s drills involved the test-firing of a Yars land-based intercontinental ballistic missile
The Russian despot monitored the drills from the Kremlin as the country’s strategic nuclear forces practised multiple launches of ballistic and cruise missiles
Such drills involving land, sea and air components have taken place on an annual basis to train the country’s nuclear forces and demonstrate their readiness
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the drills were intended to simulate a retaliatory ‘massive nuclear strike’
Putin later told a meeting of intelligence officials from ex-Soviet countries that the potential for conflict in the world remained high
The Russian exercise comes amid Moscow’s warnings of a purported Ukrainian plot to detonate a radioactive device commonly known as a ‘dirty bomb’ in a false flag attack to blame Russia.
Ukraine and its allies strongly reject the allegation, and today NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: ‘This is absurd. Allies reject this blatantly false accusation, and Russia must not use false pretexts to escalate the war further.’
NATO’s Stoltenberg underlined that the 30-nation military organisation ‘will not be intimidated or deterred from supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence for as long as it takes.’
There are fears that Russia is pushing the claims because that it what the Kremlin is planning to use the deadly device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste.
Putin told a meeting of intelligence officials from the CIS group of ex-Soviet countries that the West was ‘pumping’ Ukraine with heavy weapons, adding: ‘There are also plans to use a so-called ‘dirty bomb’ for provocations.’
Shoigu today called his counterparts from India and China to convey Moscow’s concern about the purported Ukrainian plan.
Russia’s Tu-95MS strategic bomber is seen landing during exercises held by the country’s strategic nuclear forces at an unknown location
The Kremlin said in a statement that all tasks set for the exercise were fulfilled and all the missiles that were test-fired reached their designated targets
He voiced Moscow’s concern about ‘possible Ukrainian provocations involving a ‘dirty bomb” in the calls with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, and China’s Wei Fenghe, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
The conversations followed Shoigu’s calls with British, French, Turkish and U.S. counterparts Sunday in which he made the same claim. Britain, France, and the United States rejected that claim as ‘transparently false.’
Poland’s government said it is preparing for the Kremlin’s potential use of nuclear or chemical weapons after its warnings on Ukraine.
Marcin Ociepa told Polish state broadcaster TVP1 the government believes Putin ‘may reach for nuclear or chemical weapons’ because his country’s forces are struggling in Ukraine and that Poland ‘must be prepared for all scenarios.’
Polish President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, national security ministers and leaders of Poland’s armed forces met Tuesday to discuss aid for Ukraine and the course of the war, including Russia’s nuclear threats.
The head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, said after the meeting that the leaders discussed the risks and consequences associated with the use of any type of nuclear weapons in light of the changing characteristics of the war as well as the approaching winter.
Despite the Western dismissal of the Russian claims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that ‘we have the information that there is an ongoing preparation in Ukraine for such a terror attack.’
‘We will continue to energetically inform the global community about what we know to persuade it to take action to prevent such irresponsible action by the regime in Kyiv,’ Peskov told reporters.
Moscow also took its accusation to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, voicing its concerns during a closed-door meeting.
A destroyed car is seen in the town of Balakliia, liberated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces
A view of the damaged gas station after the Russian missile attacks in Dnipro, Ukraine
Russia has not made public the evidence that it asserts it has, but says it has prepared its troops to work under conditions of nuclear contamination.
Its deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, told reporters after the Council meeting that it had passed intelligence information to Western counterparts with the ‘necessary level of clearance’.
Britain’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador, James Kariuki, called the allegations ‘pure Russian misinformation of the kind we’ve seen many times before’.
Russia targeted more than 40 villages around Ukraine over the past day, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, killing at least two people and sustaining the terror that forces people into air raid shelters each night.
Russian forces launched five rockets, 30 air strikes and more than 100 multiple-launch rocket system attacks on Ukrainian targets, the Ukrainian armed forces general staff said.
A view of damage in the retaken territory in the north of the Kharkiv Oblast as Russia-Ukraine war continues
Residents clean debris at Zestafoni Street in the Zaporizhzhia region damaged by fighting
A Ukrainian official reported Wednesday that a Russian strike hit a gas station in the city of Dnipro, killing two people, including a pregnant woman.
The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said four people wounded were hospitalized.
Mykolaiv, a southern port city near the war’s front line, is among the places where residents have lined up to receive rations of bread and canned food as increases in food prices and losses of income add to the war-time burdens of low-income households in Ukraine.
Several buildings and neighborhoods were struck in Mykolaiv on Tuesday, though it was still unclear if there were any casualties, according to local authorities.
Missiles continued early Wednesday morning.
The sole food distribution point in Mykolaiv allows each person to receive free bread once every three days. Many must walk long distances to collect the essential food items for their family.
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