Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the launch of a strategic nuclear deterrence exercise. The drill will involve ballistic and cruise missile launches, the leader said on Tuesday.
The nuclear triad remains a reliable guarantor of Russia’s security and sovereignty, Putin stressed, adding that it also helps maintain “nuclear parity and the balance of power in the world.”
“Given the growth of geopolitical tensions as well as the emergence of new external threats and risks, it is important to have modern strategic forces that are constantly ready for combat use,” the president said. Moscow plans to further improve all the “components” of its nuclear triad, he noted.
Russia seeks to maintain its nuclear forces at the “necessarily sufficient” level, but it does not intend to be dragged into a new arms race, Putin said.
“Russia reaffirms its principled stance that the use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure to ensure state security,” the president stated.
Moscow’s strategic forces are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment by 94%, according to Putin. Troops will also receive new stationary and mobile missile systems that have higher precision and shorter launch preparation time compared to previous generations, he added.
The new systems will also have higher anti-missile defense penetration capabilities, the president stated. The Russian Navy is set to be supplied with new atomic submarines and modernized strategic bombers, according to the president.
On October 14, NATO launched its own large-scale nuclear drills. Thirteen member states of the US-led bloc participated in the annual ‘Steadfast Noon’ exercise, which involved around 2,000 military personnel and over 60 aircraft. European NATO members were training to deploy US-provided weapons under the organization’s nuclear sharing arrangement.
The Kremlin said at the time that the drills would only increase tensions between Russia and the West amid the Ukraine conflict.
Moscow has also stated that the NATO nuclear sharing system is against the spirit of nuclear non-proliferation.
Last month, Putin also suggested updates to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Under the changes, an act of aggression against Russia and its closest ally Belarus by any non-nuclear state – including Ukraine – “with the participation or support of a nuclear state” would be considered a “joint attack” that could trigger a nuclear response.