Putin oversees nuclear drills, signals readiness for rising threats

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Oct. 30, supervised a large-scale nuclear exercise, testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and other nuclear capabilities as Russia faces continued tensions with Western nations over the war in Ukraine. The exercise included ballistic missile launches from land-based installations and nuclear submarines in the Barents and Okhotsk Seas, alongside cruise missile exercises by long-range bombers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

In his remarks, Putin underscored the importance of nuclear deterrence in securing Russia’s sovereignty.

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“Russia confirms its fundamental position that the use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure to ensure state security,” Putin said. “It is the nuclear triad that continues to be a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty and security of our country, allows us to solve the problems of strategic deterrence, as well as maintain nuclear parity and the balance of power in the world as objective factors of global stability.”

Amid geopolitical tensions, Putin added that Russia would continue modernizing its nuclear forces, investing in increased accuracy, reduced launch times, and enhanced defenses.

“We are not going to get involved in a new arms race,” he said, “but we will maintain nuclear forces at the necessary sufficiency level.”

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov described the drills as a simulation of a retaliatory strike. Last month, Putin warned NATO that deeper Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory, enabled by Western-supplied long-range weapons, could escalate the conflict.

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Russia recently revised its nuclear doctrine to consider large-scale attacks by non-nuclear allies of nuclear states as grounds for nuclear retaliation.

Russian officials called the exercises essential to national defense. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s International Committee, noted that Russia must be prepared for any potential aggression. The drills follow similar exercises earlier this year with Belarus, where Moscow has stationed tactical nuclear weapons.