Russia has successfully tested its ability to launch a massive retaliatory nuclear attack from land, sea and air, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
“The command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has provided training to the forces and assets of the land, sea and air components of the nuclear deterrent forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement published on Wednesday. .
As it was added, a “practical launch of ballistic and cruise missiles” took place during the exercises.
During the exercises, an intercontinental ballistic missile called Yars was launched from a test site in eastern Russia, and a ballistic missile launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea. Tu-95MS long-range bombers also took part in the exercises and fired cruise missiles.
– During the exercise, the level of preparation of military command and control bodies and the working skills of management and operational personnel in organizing the command and management of subordinate units were checked, the Kremlin informs.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said in an official report that the training tested “the tasks of carrying out a massive nuclear strike by strategic strike forces in response to an enemy nuclear attack.”
Nuclear tests
In early October, President Vladimir Putin said the Russian parliament should consider withdrawing ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is intended to reflect the position of the United States, which has never ratified the document. However, analysts suggest that Russia may conduct nuclear tests again.
Former Soviet and Russian diplomat Nikolai Sokov, now a senior researcher at the Vienna Center for Nuclear Disarmament and Nonproliferation, expressed doubts whether Moscow would actually conduct nuclear tests. According to him, such a step would be too serious an escalation that would lead to the actual use of nuclear weapons.
“At this point I consider a nuclear test unlikely, but the situation is very tense and escalation is not impossible,” Sokow said.
Russian strategy
According to him, Russian nuclear tests could be part of Russia’s strategy if the war in Ukraine followed a very bad scenario for Moscow. Sokov believes the Kremlin now has a different goal.
– The emphasis is on getting close to a nuclear test but avoiding it – to force the adversary to take a step back, so that the US and NATO think: “Is it really worth it?” – said Sokov.
The expert noted that the real risk is that “you simply lose control of events,” and that the logic of the escalation could force Putin to use nuclear weapons in a scenario he had not planned or wanted from the start.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
