Ukraine war: Russia and Nato are both holding nuclear exercises despite rising tensions
- Russia’s ‘Grom’ drills normally involve large scale manoeuvres of its strategic nuclear forces, including submarines, planes and missiles
- The drills were expected to be carried out about the same time as Nato’s own annual ‘Steadfast Noon’ nuclear exercise
Moscow and Nato are both proceeding with nuclear exercises, even as tensions escalate over President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use “all means available” – including atomic weapons – to defend land he claims to be Russian.
The drills come as Russia steps up its missile attacks on Ukraine, nearly eight months into its invasion and as its troops struggle to make headway on the ground. Putin has recently moved to annex parts of Ukraine, and is mobilising as many as 300,000 Russian reservists.
The difficulties facing Russia’s military in Ukraine have raised concerns that Putin could yet resort to some sort of nuclear strike, although US and European officials say they have detected no change in Moscow’s nuclear posture or any unusual movement of its atomic stocks.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it conducted exercises involving an unspecified number of Yars mobile ground-based missile systems, with troops testing how to hide them from aerial reconnaissance systems and protect them from saboteurs on the ground.
More than 3,000 troops and about 300 vehicles took part, according to the statement. It’s unclear if those drills would continue.
Moscow has not yet stated if it plans to conduct a Grom strategic nuclear exercise, which traditionally takes place in October and generally involves submarines, planes and missiles.