Russia Enters 'Third Phase' of Nuclear Weapon Drills, Defense Ministry Reveals Footage

The Defense Ministry has announced the beginning of a “third phase” in its ongoing non-strategic nuclear weapon drills, which initially began in the spring. These exercises are being conducted in the central and southern military districts, encompassing several North Caucasus republics, annexed Crimea, and four partially occupied regions of southern and eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.

According to the statement from the Russian Defense Ministry released on July 31, during this phase “personnel from the missile formations of the Southern and Central Military Districts will complete combat training tasks, including acquiring special training ammunition for the Iskander-M tactical missile systems.”

The exercises also involve instruction on preparing launch vehicles and discreetly moving to designated positions for simulated electronic launches.

A video released by the ministry depicted camouflaged military vehicles, some carrying missiles, navigating muddy forest roads.

The first two phases of the drills involved units from the Southern and Leningrad military districts, as well as Aerospace Forces and Navy units, the ministry noted.

Vladimir Putin initiated these exercises in early May, citing Western “threats and provocations” as the reason. At that time, Russian officials responded to remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of NATO countries deploying troops to Ukraine.

The first phase of the exercises began in late May, followed by a joint Russian-Belarusian drill in June, after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered an inspection of Belarus’s non-strategic nuclear weapon carriers. Although Belarus does not possess its own nuclear weapons, it agreed to place Russian tactical warheads on its territory.

Since the invasion began in February 2022, the Kremlin has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West.