Russian military announced on Wednesday the commencement of a “third phase” in its ongoing non-strategic nuclear weapon exercises, which initially began in the spring.
The Defense Ministry reported that these exercises are taking place in the central and southern military districts, encompassing several North Caucasus republics, annexed Crimea, and four partially occupied regions in southern and eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.
“As part of this exercise phase, personnel from the missile formations of the Southern and Central Military Districts will carry out combat training tasks, including acquiring special training ammunition for the Iskander-M tactical missile systems,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The statement also noted that servicemen will be trained in “equipping launch vehicles and covertly advancing to designated positions to prepare for electronic launches.”
A video released by the Defense Ministry depicted camouflaged military vehicles navigating muddy forest roads, some of which were carrying missiles.
President Vladimir Putin ordered these drills in early May in response to what Russia described as Western “threats and provocations.” At the time, Russian officials referenced comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the possibility of NATO countries deploying troops to Ukraine.
The first stage of the exercises began later in May, followed by the second stage in June, when Russian and Belarusian armed forces conducted joint drills after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered a surprise inspection of non-strategic nuclear weapon carriers.
Although Minsk does not possess its own nuclear weapons, it agreed last year to host Russian tactical warheads on its territory, amid escalating tensions over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
