Russia Test-Fires Long-Range Missiles to Simulate “Massive” Nuclear Response to Enemy Strike

Russia Test-Fires Long-Range Missiles to Simulate “Massive” Nuclear Response to Enemy Strike

Karen Faulkner

Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and increasing closeness to the Islamic jihadist regime of Iran, the Russian military on Tuesday test-fired long-range missiles to simulate a “massive” nuclear response to an enemy first strike, Reuters reports.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced the exercise: “Given the growing geopolitical tensions and the emergence of new external threats and risks, it is important to have modern and constantly ready-to-use strategic forces.” 

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov added in a statement that the purpose of the drill was to simulate  “a massive nuclear strike by strategic offensive forces in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy.”

Reuters notes in its report that the test-firing occurred at “a critical moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, after weeks of Russian signals to the West that Moscow will respond if the United States and its allies allow Kyiv to fire longer-range missiles deep into Russia.”

Russian references to nuclear activity cause widespread unease among Western leaders. On a recent visit to Beijing, the President of Finland asked China to assist in de-escalating Russian nuclear activity, Euronews reported. “[…] it is very difficult to trust President Putin, especially when it comes to nuclear weapons, and that’s why it’s extremely important that a major power such as China keeps on having dialog with Russia and make sure that we can de-escalate as much as possible,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told reporters after meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.