Russia unveils large-scale nuclear exercise and displays its combat-ready missiles

Russia announced on Wednesday that it had conducted a large-scale nuclear exercise involving the deployment of nuclear warheads on Iskander-M mobile ballistic missile systems, in a show of force that comes amid rising tensions with the West.

The Russian Ministry of Defense released images showing soldiers transporting nuclear warheads, mounting them on mobile launchers, and then moving the systems to firing positions. Moscow claims the troops trained to achieve "the highest level of combat readiness for the use of nuclear weapons."

According to Russian authorities, these maneuvers are taking place over three days in Russia and Belarus. The exact locations of the exercises have not been specified. Videos released by the ministry show, among other things, technical teams preparing the launch tubes for Iskander-M missiles, which are capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads.

This exercise comes amid extremely high tensions between Moscow and Western countries since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin regularly presents the conflict as an existential confrontation between Russia and the NATO-led West.

The day before, a senior Russian diplomat had warned that the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO was increasing dangerously. Moscow accuses several European capitals of fueling war rhetoric by raising the possibility of a high-intensity conflict with Russia.

Iskander-M missiles occupy a central place in Russian military strategy. These mobile, difficult-to-detect systems are designed to quickly strike strategic military targets and can be equipped with tactical nuclear warheads.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has increased its nuclear exercises and warnings related to its strategic arsenal, in what analysts consider an attempt at deterrence aimed at the United States and Kyiv's European allies.