Russia on Tuesday commenced large-scale maneuvers of its nuclear forces, featuring practice launches of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. The drills come amid a significant increase in Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian territory.
Scale of the Exercise
The three-day exercise involves 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships, and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the Defense Ministry.
The maneuvers focus on the preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression, the ministry stated. The drills also include cooperation with Belarus, a neighbor and ally that hosts Russian nuclear weapons, including the latest intermediate-range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system.
Context of Ukrainian Drone Attacks
The exercises unfold as Ukraine has sharply intensified its drone attacks against Russia. A weekend barrage on Moscow's suburbs killed three people and damaged several buildings and industrial facilities. These attacks have made it harder for Kremlin officials to portray the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, as distant from the daily lives of Russian civilians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded the world about Moscow's nuclear arsenals since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, aiming to deter the West from ramping up support for Kyiv.
Strategic Implications
The exercise coincides with Putin's two-day visit to China starting Tuesday. Last week, he praised a successful test launch of the new Sarmat ICBM, designed to replace aging Soviet-built nuclear missiles.
In 2024, Putin adopted a revised nuclear doctrine, stating that any conventional attack on Russia supported by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack. This threat appears to significantly lower the threshold for potential use of Russia's nuclear arsenal and is clearly aimed at discouraging the West from allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with longer-range weapons.
Russian hawks have long urged the Kremlin to respond to growing Ukrainian attacks by striking Kyiv's allies in Europe with conventional weapons, arguing that European NATO members would not dare retaliate against the world's largest nuclear power.
Last month, the Defense Ministry published a list of European factories it claims are involved in producing drones and components for Ukraine. It warned that attacks on Russia involving drones manufactured in Europe could lead to unpredictable consequences.
