The President Vladimir Putin will supervise on Saturday some exercises of the Russian nuclear forces in which ballistic and cruise missiles will be launchedaccording to the Interfax news agency.
The maneuvers will be carried out at a time of growing tension between Russia and the West. The Russian military buildup near Ukraine has stoked fears that Moscow could attack its neighbor to the west. After an escalation of the crisis, Russia has announced a withdrawal of troops questioned by NATO and the US. In this context, the Kremlin is now announcing exercises by the Russian nuclear forces.
“On February 19, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, a planned exercise of the strategic deterrent forces“, reported the Ministry of Defense, quoted by Russian news agencies.
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According to Moscow, within the framework of these exercises “there will be ballistic missile and cruise missile fireThey will also involve soldiers from Russia’s South Military District, Aerospace Forces, Strategic Forces and Russian North and Black Sea fleets.
The objective of these maneuvers is, according to the ministry, “to test the level of preparation” of the forces involved and the “reliability of strategic nuclear and non-nuclear weapons”.
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The Russian “strategic” forces, in its broadest definition, serve to respond to threats, including in the event of nuclear war. They are equipped with intercontinental missiles, long-range strategic bombers, submarines, surface ships and naval aviation with long-range conventional missiles.
For their part, the Presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko respectively, decide at a meeting on Friday in Moscow on the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Belarusian territory when the joint maneuvers end this Sunday, which have raised alarm in the West due to their magnitude and proximity to the border with Ukraine.