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Russia conducts nuclear drills in Putin's presence, no peace in sight in Ukraine amid new tensions
Russia conducted the drills for all three forces to rehearse their readiness and command structure as the Ukraine war rages on
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw a test of Moscow's nuclear forces on the triad of land, sea and air as the war in Ukraine is seeing no end in sight.
According to the reports in the Russian media, the drills were conducted for the forces to rehearse their readiness and command structure.
The Kremlin said in a statement that "the exercise tested the level of preparedness of the military command and the practical skills of the operational personnel in organising the control of subordinate forces. " It added that “all exercise tasks were completed."
The test included the launch of a land-based "Yars" intercontinental ballistic missile from a cosmodrome, the launch of a "Sineva" ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, and the launch of nuclear-capable cruise missiles from strategic bombers.
The Russia and NATO drills
Russia carries out regular drills of its nuclear forces to put them through their paces and to remind adversaries that it holds the world's largest nuclear arsenal at a period of soaring tensions with the West over the Ukraine war.
NATO began its own annual nuclear exercises earlier this month, with F-35A fighter jets and B-52 bombers among some 60 aircraft from 13 nations participating in the Steadfast Noon exercise, hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.
US President Donald Trump has tried to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv, even reportedly threatening Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into accepting Putin’s terms.
The European ‘coalition of the willing’ has been supporting Zelensky and Ukraine amid uncertainty over Washington’s help.
Zelensky on Wednesday said that Trump's proposal of freezing the frontline and then negotiating the end of the war was a “good compromise”, but expressed doubt on Putin's readiness to accept it.
Russia has also said that Putin's second summit with Trump, after the August 15 Alaska Summit, is still under preparation.
