While Russian senators just approved the country’s withdrawal from the nuclear test ban treaty, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw military exercises firing ballistic missiles aimed at simulating a “massive nuclear strike.”
Published on: October 25, 2023 – 6:47 p.m
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Vladimir Putin wasted no time. While the upper house of parliament has just approved the country’s withdrawal from the nuclear test ban treaty, the Russian president on Wednesday, October 25, oversaw military exercises in which ballistic missiles were fired to simulate a “massive nuclear strike.”
“An exercise was conducted under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin (…). Practice firings with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles took place,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Ballistic missiles and long-range aircraft
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, citing the Interfax press agency, added to Vladimir Putin: “Under your leadership, a training course (…) will be organized, during which the tasks of initiating a massive nuclear strike will be solved.” Strategic offensive forces in response to an enemy Nuclear attack will be put into practice.”
During these exercises, an Iars intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia and another Sineva ballistic missile was fired from a submarine in the Barents Sea, the Kremlin said.
According to the same source, long-range Tu-95MS aircraft also fired cruise missiles.
Russian public television broadcast a short clip of Vladimir Putin listening to Sergei Shoigu’s report and that of Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov after these maneuvers.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, passed the law on revocation of ratification of the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis with the West.
Also read: Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threat, empty announcement or real danger to the world?
The upper house passed the law unanimously with 156 votes, paving the way for Vladimir Putin to sign it. This law “aims to restore parity in the field of nuclear weapons control,” said a press release posted on the Federation Council website shortly before the vote.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, also passed the law unanimously last week, with its President Vyacheslav Volodin advocating a “response to the abhorrent attitude of the United States towards its obligations to maintain global security.”
In early October, Vladimir Putin announced that his country could revoke its ratification of the CTBT, in response to the US never ratifying it.
With AFP