Russian President Vladimir Putin will observe military exercises amid tensions with the West. The exercise will be held on Saturday. Russia’s nuclear-armed forces will take part in the exercise. It will use ballistic and cruise missiles. News agency Reuters.
Ballistic and cruise missiles are the only two types of missiles capable of carrying an atomic bomb. Russia is holding the exercise at a time when the United States is increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the exercise was part of regular training. Peskov also said that there was no indication that the stalemate in resolving the Ukraine crisis would be prolonged through the exercise.
“The role of the president is very important here,” Peskov said, referring to Putin’s exercise. He will observe the exercise from the Situation Center.
For the past four months, the Russian military has been conducting various exercises. This includes increasing the military presence on the Ukrainian border. According to Western estimates, more than 1.5 million troops have been deployed along the country’s borders. In addition, exercises are being conducted in the Black Sea and Belarus.
In the context of the new exercise, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the readiness of military command, army, warships and missiles will be tested through the exercise.
The exercise will also test the reliability of non-nuclear and non-nuclear weapons. The exercise will be attended by Russian Aerospace Force, Southern Military District, Strategic Missile Force, Northern Fleet and Black Sea Fleet.
According to the United Kingdom-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia’s Strategic Rocket Force has 500,000 members. In all, the number of members of the military is 9 lakh. In the last six years, the technology used by these forces has improved tremendously.