MOSCOW, Russia: Russia is testing the combat readiness of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile unit in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, as part of its broader nuclear drills.
The Yars missile, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, has a range of up to 11,000 km and can be launched from silos or mobile platforms. This exercise is designed to test the unit’s ability to move missiles up to 100 km while camouflaging them and defending against air and sabotage attacks.
This latest drill coincides with NATO’s annual nuclear exercise and Ukraine’s unveiling of its “victory plan,” signaling heightened tensions amid the ongoing conflict. These actions are part of a broader strategy, with Russian President Vladimir Putin having recently expanded scenarios under which Russia might use nuclear weapons, a move Ukraine has criticized as nuclear blackmail. Despite this, Putin insists that Russia does not need nuclear weapons to win the war in Ukraine.
This test is the latest in a series of exercises aimed at demonstrating Russia’s nuclear capabilities, meant to deter Western intervention.
