Russia Conducts Major Nuclear Forces Drill

On Oct. 22, Russia carried out a major exercise of its strategic nuclear forces ordered by President Vladimir Putin that tested land, sea and air elements of the nuclear triad, including a Yars ICBM launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, a Sineva ICBM fired from the submarine Bryansk in the Barents Sea, and air-launched cruise missiles from Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers. The Kremlin released footage of General Valery Gerasimov reporting to Putin and said the drills practiced command-and-control functions, including procedures to authorize the use of nuclear weapons, and were presented as a scheduled exercise not aimed at any state. Moscow framed the publicized launches and video as a demonstration of deterrent capability and said preparations for a postponed U.S.–Russia summit in Budapest were continuing despite Washington’s delay. The maneuvers followed Putin’s recent remarks about progress on new nuclear weapons and coincided with NATO’s Steadfast Noon exercise. They came amid intensified fighting with Ukraine, including renewed missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.