Russia Conducts Nuclear Readiness Drill Amid Rising Global Tensions

Russia has carried out a comprehensive nuclear readiness test on 22 October, 2025  under the supervision of President Vladimir Putin, involving strategic missile launches from land, sea, and air. The exercise, described as a “planned command and control operation,” aimed to assess the preparedness of the country’s nuclear deterrent systems amid growing friction with the West.

Strategic Missile Launches Across Domains

State media footage revealed a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, while a Sineva submarine-launched ballistic missile was fired from the Bryansk nuclear-powered vessel in the Barents Sea. Additionally, Tu-95MS long-range bombers deployed air-launched cruise missiles, testing the coordination between Russia’s land, sea, and air-based nuclear capabilities.

Putin Supervises Exercise from Moscow

President Vladimir Putin oversaw the nuclear readiness exercise via video link from Moscow, emphasising that it was “planned” and not a response to any immediate threat. According to General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, the drills were intended to “rehearse procedures for authorising the use of nuclear weapons,” ensuring the functionality and reliability of command-and-control systems across Russia’s strategic forces.

Diplomatic Strain Over Stalled Putin–Trump Meeting

The exercise coincided with diplomatic tension after US President Donald Trump announced that his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest had been postponed, citing concerns over its productivity. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that both leaders preferred well-prepared, results-oriented discussions, underlining that no summit would proceed without substantive groundwork.

Exam Oriented Facts

• The Yars ICBM is a key component of Russia’s land-based strategic deterrent, with a range exceeding 10,000 km.
• The New START Treaty, signed in 2010, limits each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 800 launchers.
• Russia’s Sineva missile, launched from submarines, can carry multiple nuclear warheads up to 11,000 km.
• NATO’s “Steadfast Noon” nuclear drill earlier this month involved over 70 aircraft from 14 allied nations.

New START Treaty and NATO Exercises

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated Moscow’s support for extending the New START Treaty, warning that its collapse would lead to a “vacuum” in global arms control and heighten nuclear risks. The Russian test follows NATO’s “Steadfast Noon” nuclear exercises, which featured F-35s and B-52 bombers operating across Belgium and the Netherlands — a parallel demonstration of military readiness as nuclear tensions resurface in Europe.