Putin’s escalating nuclear war games include ballistic and cruise missile launches from the Barents Sea
The three-day joint Russian-Belarusian nuclear weapons exercise concluded on Thursday with ballistic missile exchanges between the Barents Arctic region and the Russian Far East, alongside multiple launches of nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
Putin was shown sitting alone as he commanded the nuclear drill on 21 May. A video-linked screen connected him with commanders of the strategic air force, navy, missile forces and land forces, as well as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“It is important to continue improving the level of training of both strategic and tactical nuclear forces and to further develop all components of the nuclear triad,” Putin said after Gerasimov informed him that the first phase of the exercise had been completed successfully.
The opening phase of the drill, which began on 19 May, involved the delivery of warheads to launch systems in Belarus. However, the test-launch of a mobile Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems took place deep inside Russia, according to footage released by the Belarusian armed forces via the Defence Ministry in Moscow.
While the first two days of the exercise coincided with Putin’s visit to Beijing and meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the final phase focused on the strategic launchers of Russia’s nuclear triad.
“Let’s get to work,” Putin said before ordering the launches.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the following weapons systems were involved:
- A Northern Fleet frigate of the Gorshkov class launched a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Barents Sea.
- A Northern Fleet Delta IV-class submarine launched a Sineva ballistic missile from a submerged position in the Barents Sea.
- A mobile Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region towards the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
- A Tu-95MS strategic bomber from the Ukrainka air base in the Amur region launched cruise missiles, while a MiG-31 aircraft fired a Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile.
- An Iskander semi-ballistic short-range missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar test range.
None of the above listed weapons launches have been independently confirmed.
The video below shows the launches of the Tsirkon-missile and the Sineva missile from the Barents Sea.
On 20 May, a Defence Ministry video showed the Borei-A class strategic missile submarine Imperator Aleksandr III departing from the Rybachiy naval base on the Kamchatka Peninsula. At the time of publication, however, no information had been released about any missile launches from Russia’s Pacific region.
Photos on social media this week have revealed that the two Northern Fleet warships Marshal Ustinov and Admiral Levchenko left Severomorsk and sailed out in the Barents Sea together with the frigate Admiral Gorshkov.
More than 64,000 personnel are taking part in the exercise, alongside over 7,800 units of military equipment, including 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 warships and 13 submarines — among them eight strategic missile submarines.
