Putin Oversees Major Russian Nuclear Drill Amid Rising Tensions with the West
Russia has recently conducted a large-scale strategic nuclear exercise, personally overseen by President Vladimir Putin. The military drill involved components of the country’s land, sea, and air-based nuclear forces.
According to a statement from the Kremlin, the operation was carried out on the direct orders of Putin, who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces. The Kremlin stated that the exercise aimed to “evaluate the level of military command readiness” and was part of a pre-planned program. All assigned missions were reportedly completed successfully.
During the drill, a Bryansk-class nuclear submarine launched a ‘Sineva’ ballistic missile from the Barents Sea. Additionally, long-range TU-95MS bombers fired air-launched cruise missiles. Another key element of the exercise was the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk spaceport to the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East.
These military maneuvers come at a time when tensions between Russia and the West — particularly over the war in Ukraine — remain high. Russian state media’s coverage of such drills is seen as a message of strength from the Kremlin to both domestic and international audiences. However, international observers have expressed serious concerns about the growing threat of nuclear escalation.
Amid these developments, the silence of the Taliban administration regarding these high-stakes drills and their global security implications has once again raised questions about Afghanistan’s status under its rule, and its capacity to engage responsibly with international challenges.
