Russia Drills 64,000 Troops in Major Nuclear Readiness Exercise

(MENAFN) Russia's armed forces have rehearsed bringing nuclear-capable units to peak combat readiness as part of sweeping strategic nuclear forces drills currently underway, the country's Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.

According to an official ministry statement, the exercises involved transporting nuclear munitions to field storage facilities within missile brigade deployment zones — a significant operational step signaling elevated preparedness.

"Personnel of missile units are carrying out training tasks involving the receipt of special warheads for the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system, equipping carrier missiles with the munitions and covertly moving to designated launch positions in preparation for missile launches," the ministry said.

The sheer scale of the exercises underscores their gravity: more than 64,000 military personnel are participating alongside over 7,800 pieces of military hardware. The arsenal deployed includes upwards of 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships, and 13 submarines — among them eight strategic missile submarines capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

In a particularly notable dimension of the drills, the Defense Ministry disclosed that forces are also conducting joint training simulating the preparation and potential deployment of nuclear weapons stationed on Belarusian soil — a development likely to draw sharp scrutiny from NATO allies and Western governments monitoring the exercises closely.

No immediate comment was issued by NATO or Western officials at the time of publication.

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