Russia rehearsed launching ‘massive’ nuclear strike after exiting CTBT
Photo shows a missile taking off (File photo)
The Kremlin on Wednesday (Oct 25) said Russia recently rehearsed its ability to perform a massive nuclear strike. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the drills involved staging a nuclear attack in "response to an enemy strike.”
The move came shortly after the Russian parliament paved the way for the country’s exit from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), a global treaty that bans all physical testing of nuclear warheads.
The Kremlin statement added that "practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles" had taken place during the exercise.
“A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from a test site in Russia's far-east, and another missile was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine in the Barents Sea”, the statement said.
Russia sought parity with the US
Russia justified its decision to withdraw its ratification of CTBT by emphasising the USA’s position on the matter. While the US remains a signatory, it never ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The CTBT, agreed in 1996, bans "any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion" anywhere in the world.
Will Russia resume nuclear testing?
Russia asserts it won't resume testing unless the US does, but experts warn that such a test by either nation could trigger a new arms race, especially during the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.
Recent satellite images published by CNN show that Russia, the US, and China have expanded their nuclear test sites.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei said that Russia is not prepared to restart nuclear talks with the US unless there is a change in the "deeply fundamental hostile course" of the US.
Russia accuses the US of trying to weaken it strategically by arming Ukraine, while the US maintains it's supporting Ukraine's purported self-defence.
Putin’s nuclear warning
Russian leader Putin earlier this month reignited concerns of nuclear war after he declared that the ‘Satan-2’ and ‘Flying Chernobyl’ missiles would be ready soon.
Watch:Russia-Ukraine war: Day 609 | Impact on Ukraine as U.S. focuses on Israel
Putin claimed Russia had “practically finished work on the modern strategic weapons" that he had been talking about and hadannounced a few years ago.
In a stark warning to the West, Putin said that Russia could resume nuclear testing for the first time in over three decades.
(With inputs from agencies)