Nuclear Weapons 830 - Russia Holds Combat Exercises For Their Nuclear Rocket Forces

     Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, and his inner circle have frequently boasted about the size of Russia’s huge nuclear weapons arsenal since the beginning of the Ukrainian war. World War III fears have exploded once more after Putin ordered thousands of troops from Russia’s nuclear mission force to engage in “combat readiness” exercises.
     The nuclear combat drills were held in the Sverdlovsk region on Thursday. Three thousand Rocket Division soldiers were trained on the “highest degrees of combat readiness.” Video footage of the nuclear mission division’s combat drills were presented on the Russian defense ministry TV channel, Zvdzda.
     The clip showed thousands of soldiers training and Yars thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. These missiles have a huge range of six thousand eight hundred thirty-five miles. The drills covered several elements. These included how to “maneuver on combat patrol routes” in the nearby Ural mountain range. They also trained the thousands of soldiers on how to fight back against attacks from the West on Putin’s devastating arsenal of nuclear weapons.
     The use of such nuclear weapons on Ukraine and the West would be a very drastic step for the Russian President. It would force NATO to immediately retaliate in a scenario that would likely trigger World War III.
     Putin and Russia have increasingly found themselves with their backs against the wall as Ukraine significantly intensifies its counteroffensive. They have been smashing vital Russian infrastructure in a bid to reclaim regions and cities from the enemy.
     This progress has ignited fears that Putin could eventually resort to desperate measures by involving his country’s huge nuclear weapons arsenal. He has been warned repeatedly against making such a drastic move. Even some of his closest allies such as China have cautioned against such action.
     Last week’s meeting between Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un have increased fears that two nuclear armed nations have grown closer.
     Russia and Putin suffered a massive blow after U.S. President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. will send Ukraine devasting long-range missiles. The U.S. President made the announcement to his Ukrainian counterpart in the latest round of strategic talks between the two leaders. This is a massive win for Ukraine and Zelensky who have been requesting Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, for a long time.
     The ATACMS would give Ukrainian troops the ability to hit targets as far away as one hundred and eighty miles. They will be able to destroy Russian supply lines, railways, and command and control locations far behind the Russian front lines. Defense officials have conceded that the U.S. does not have a large stockpile of excess ATACMS because they are more expensive to provide to Ukraine than traditional artillery.
     The Biden administration has significantly changed its position on what it is going to send to Ukraine. It had previously been accused of being too slow when compared to weapons shipments from other countries.      The White House had initially withheld approval for Ukrainian requests for weapons such as stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Howitzer artillery pieces, anti-ship missiles, and HIMARS systems, before eventually deciding to provide them.