Russian president Vladimir Putin oversaw ballistic missile drills remotely, the Kremlin said. This comes hours after Russia moved to revoke its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty.
“Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces, Vladimir Putin, a training exercise was conducted with the forces and equipment of ground, sea and air components of nuclear deterrent forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“During the training, practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles and cruise missiles took place,” it added.
State TV showed Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu talking to Vladimir Putin about the exercise.
The Kremlin gave further information saying, “Yars intercontinental ballistic missile had been fired from a test site in Russia’s far east, that a nuclear-powered submarine had launched a ballistic missile from the Barents Sea, and that Tu-95MS long-range bombers had test-fired air-launched cruise missiles.”
What happened in Russian parliament?
Russia’s parliament completed the passage of a law withdrawing ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests. Country’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia was not prepared to resume discussing nuclear issues with the US unless Washington dropped its “hostile” policy.
Speaking to Russian lawmakers before the vote, deputy foreign minister said, “As our president said, we must be on alert, and if the United States moves towards the start of nuclear tests, we will have to respond here in the same way.”
The bill to deratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT was approved by 156 votes to zero in the upper house after the lower house passed it unanimously. It now goes to Russian president Vladimir Putin for signing.
Earlier Russia had said that it will not resume testing unless Washington does. Meanwhile, CNN published satellite images last month showing that Russia, the United States and China have all expanded their nuclear test sites in recent years.
