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FACTBOX: Russia carries out second check of strategic force this year

It is noted that the previous one took place on February 19, shortly before the start of a special military operation in Ukraine

MOSCOW, October 26. /TASS/. The Russian military conducted a strategic deterrence force exercise on Wednesday to simulate a massive nuclear strike in retaliation for a hypothetic nuclear attack. According to the Kremlin’s press service, all the tasks were completed in full, and all launched missiles hit their targets.

This exercise was a second one since the beginning of the year. The previous one took place on February 19, shortly before the start of a special military operation in Ukraine.

TASS has compiled the main facts and figures concerning this event.

List of participants

- All three components of the Russian nuclear triad - land-, sea-and air-based - took part in the training. A mobile ground-launched missile Yars was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. The nuclear-powered submarine Tula (project 667BDRM) in the Barents Sea fired an intercontinental ballistic missiles. Both hit targets at the Kura test site in Kamchatka. The air component was represented by two Tu-95MS strategic bombers, which launched cruise missiles.

- Similar weapons were involved in the February exercises. The sole difference was the launch of a Sineva missile was then carried out by The Karelia submarine, identical to The Tula.

- Also, last February’s test launches involved sea and land-based cruise missiles Kalibr and Iskander, as well as hypersonic vehicles Kinzhal, carried by upgraded MiG-31 planes, and Tsirkon (which already arm some ships and, in the future, will be installed on submarines).

Purpose of training

- The military, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, practiced "the tasks of delivering a massive nuclear strike by strategic nuclear forces in retaliation for an enemy nuclear strike."

- The main goal of last February’s exercise, as the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said then, was to test the ability of the strategic offensive forces "to inflict guaranteed defeat on the enemy." They were carried out in two stages: the use of enhanced combat potential weapons was practiced first, and of an authorized and massive use of nuclear weapons "in a retaliatory strike," second.

President's participation

- On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the course of the training from the Kremlin’s situation center. He heard reports by Shoigu and Gerasimov via video link.

- In February, the head of state was also in the Kremlin. His Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko watched the exercises, too.

NATO exercises

- The training took place against the backdrop of NATO's annual Steadfast Noon exercise, which this year is running from October 17 to 30 October. As part of these war games, the alliance's military practices simulated nuclear strikes.

- This year, the headquarters of the exercise is located at the Kleine-Brogel airbase in Belgium, which is one of the deployment sites of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe (along with Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey).

- Up to 60 aircraft from 14 NATO countries, including US B-52 strategic bombers, are involved in the alliance's drills. They B-52s fly training missions over Northwestern Europe - Belgium, Great Britain and the North Sea.