MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday released footage it said showed troops handling nuclear warheads and deploying mobile Iskander-M missile system launch units as part of a major nuclear preparedness exercise spanning Russia and Belarus.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces practiced procedures for bringing units to the “highest levels of combat readiness for the use of nuclear weapons,” including the loading, transport and concealed movement of nuclear warheads to designated launch sites.
According to the ministry, the three-day exercise—launched on Tuesday—covers strategic coordination across multiple military branches and is taking place amid heightened tensions with NATO and Western countries over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Officials said the drills involve approximately 64,000 military personnel, more than 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships and 13 submarines. The exercises also reportedly include simulated launch procedures for Russian tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus.
State media footage showed convoys of missile systems moving through forested terrain under camouflage conditions, with crews preparing launch units and raising missile tubes into firing positions as part of operational drills.
The Defence Ministry said the exercises are intended to test the readiness of Russia’s non-strategic nuclear forces and ensure rapid deployment capability in what Moscow describes as a deteriorating security environment.
The drills come at a time of intensified confrontation between Russia and Western states, with Moscow repeatedly describing the conflict in Ukraine as an existential struggle and accusing NATO of escalating military pressure along its borders.
Analysts view the exercise as a signal of nuclear deterrence capability and strategic messaging amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe and broader East-West confrontation.