Russia conducted extensive nuclear drill with submarines and land-based missiles and troops have been commanded to be "combat ready" following Putin's Ukraine invasion, according to the country's navy. On Tuesday, nuclear submarines sailed off for maneuvers in the Barents Sea, while and mobile missile launchers wandered the snow forests in Siberia.
The drills come after Putin put his nation's nuclear forces on high alert over tensions with the West following the invasion of Ukraine, which has seen his forces suffer huge losses so far without much success. Video footage of the drills being conducted in the Barents Sea have emerged on social media, showing the navy's active participation in the exercises.
Tensions Mount
Several of Russia's nuclear submarines are taking part in exercises to "train maneuvering in stormy conditions," according to the Northern Fleet. Several warships charged with protecting the area surrounding Russian military outposts on the Arctic Kola Peninsula will also take part in the drills, according to the report.
The Defense Ministry also confirmed that deadly intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched in secret practice drills in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia.
Putin's proclamation covered all elements of Russia's nuclear triad, which includes nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-tipped land-based ICBMs, and nuclear-capable strategic bombers, similar to the US nuclear triad.
However, the ministry was unsure if the drills were a departure from the country's usual nuclear training efforts. Similar maneuvers are believed to take place throughout the region at various times of the year.
However, a video on social media shows the navy conducting the drills with nuclear submarines and the exercises going on in full swing.
Russia Gearing Up for Bigger Assault
The nuclear drills definitely raise concerns given that there have been reports of Putin getting extremely frustrated following the Russian army's failure to capture Kyiv in the six days into the war.
The drills come as It comes as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that all Russian nuclear forces have been strengthened with more troops, just hours after Putin commanded that his nuclear forces be placed on high alert.
The Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, and the long-range aircraft command, according to officials, are all ready to fight. It comes as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed the rising tensions on Foreign Secretary Liz Truss' words.
According to the Interfax news agency, Peskov told a press briefing: "Statements were made by various representatives at various levels on possible altercations or even collisions and clashes between NATO and Russia. We believe that such statements are absolutely unacceptable."
"I would not call the authors of these statements by name, although it was the British foreign minister." It was not immediately clear what statements the Kremlin was referring to.
The Russian dictator is said to be "furious" that he hasn't been able to take control over Ukraine, and has slammed NATO for its "unfriendly measures," which he claims forced him into the dangerous nuclear gamble.
Putin has now ordered the world's greatest stockpile of nuclear warheads to be prepped for launch. This increases the terrible risk that the crisis and a blunder will lead to nuclear war.
The US claimed Putin's move worsened an already hazardous situation unnecessarily, but it hasn't changed its nuclear weapons alert level yet, maybe because it's unclear what the Russian president's order means in practice.
The land- and submarine-based portions of Russia's and the United States' strategic nuclear forces are always on alert and ready for conflict, but nuclear-capable bombers and other aircraft are not.
