Russia stages major nuclear missile exercises with 3,000 troops as Putin seeks show of strength to West

Kremlin steps up implied threat by ordering drills with ballistic missile system, as defence chiefs stop issuing test warnings to US

Moscow has launched a series of major military exercises involving a tactical nuclear weapon system, in Vladimir Putin’s latest show of strength to the West as his invasion of Ukraine rages on.

About 3,000 troops are taking part in drills using the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, which is the backbone of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

The country’s defence chiefs released a video showing massive trucks carrying the missiles heading out on patrol.

A video by the Russian defence ministry shows a Yars missile launcher (EPA)

At the same time, a top Russian diplomat said Moscow would no longer give the US advance notice about its missile tests. The deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that Moscow had halted all information exchanges with Washington after last month suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms pact with Washington.

The Foreign Ministry had initially said Moscow would keep notifying the US about planned test launches of its ballistic missiles, but Mr Ryabkov’s statement reflected an abrupt change of course.

The military exercises, in three regions of Siberia, mean 300 vehicles driving missile launchers for the Yars, which is a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of around 6,500 miles, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

The exercises also involve hiding the deployment from foreign satellites and other intelligence assets, according to the Russian defence ministry.

Officials did not say how long the drills would last or mention any practice launches.

The Yars missile launchers parading through Red Square in Moscow last year (AFP/Getty)

The START treaty had allowed the world’s two largest nuclear powers to inspect and limit each other’s nuclear arsenal. But Mr Putin suspended it last month, saying Russia could not accept US inspections after Washington and Nato had openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Moscow emphasised that it was not withdrawing from the pact altogether and would continue to respect the caps on nuclear weapons under the treaty.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had initially said Moscow would keep notifying the US of planned test launches of ballistic missiles, but Mr Ryabkov’s statement reflected a change of course.

A Russian serviceman at the start of the exercises in Siberia (EPA)

“There will be no notifications at all,” he said.

Tactical nuclear weapons, intended for use on the battlefield, have a shorter range and lower yield than long-range strategic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads capable of obliterating cities.

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, which Mr Putin chairs, warned the US and its allies on Tuesday against harbouring hopes of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine.

“Russia is patient and isn’t trying to scare anyone with its military superiority, but it has unique modern weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in case of a threat to its existence,” Mr Patrushev said.

A missile launcher as seen in the Russian video (AP)

Elsewhere on Wednesday, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog visited the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeastern Ukraine as part of efforts to avert the risk of an atomic accident.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Russian news agencies that the situation at the plant had not improved, that fighting nearby had intensified and that he wanted to come up with realistic ways to reduce the threat of a catastrophe.

Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the site of the power station over the last year. Mr Grossi has been pushing for a safety agreement between Ukraine and Russia to protect the facility.

Mr Grossi told Reuters in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Tuesday that the situation at the plant remained “very dangerous” and “very unstable”, noting that military activity in the region had increased in recent weeks.

Since invading Ukraine in February last year, Russia has conducted numerous military exercises on its own or with other countries, such as China or South Africa.

For months, its troops have been grinding on with a bloody battle to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, with heavy losses on both sides.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky considers the battle key to the war, saying that if Bakhmut fell to Russian forces, his Russian counterpart would “sell the victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran” and it would bolster his determination.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report