After Ukraine's 'Dirty Bomb' Threat, Putin Monitors Russian Nuclear Drill: Report

President Putin has taken stock of this nuclear exercise when it is feared that Russia may launch a major attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the coordination council to meet the needs of Russia's Armed Forces, other troops, military formations and bodies via a video conference in Moscow (Source: File photo/AFP)

New Delhi: Amid the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw the training of Moscow's strategic deterrence forces which included a series of ballistic and cruise missile drills, the Kremlin said, as reported by the news agency AFP. "Under the leadership of... Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with ground, sea, and air strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place," the Kremlin said in a statement.

President Putin has taken stock of this nuclear exercise at a time when it is feared that Russia may launch a significant attack on Ukraine amid the ever-increasing war. It is being told that Putin has warned that if anyone attacks Russia, all kinds of tactics will be adopted to stop it. His statement is linked to nuclear weapons.

"The tasks envisaged during the training of the strategic deterrence forces were completed in full, all missiles reached their targets," the Kremlin said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, "the drills watched by Vladimir Putin on Oct. 26 simulated a massive nuclear strike in response to an enemy nuclear attack," according to the Moscow Times.

According to the information, the nuclear weapons drill that Putin saw included a surface-to-surface intercontinental ballistic missiles, a submarine-launched Sineva ICBM missiles and Tu-95 strategic bomb, cruise missile. 

Earlier, US President Joe Biden had warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in the ongoing conflict, saying it would be an 'incredibly serious mistake'. "Let me just say: Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it uses a tactical nuclear weapon," Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. 

According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden was clear about what he said. "He said it again today. It would be a major mistake for Russia to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, leading to severe consequences. As for the potential use of a dirty bomb, look, Russia is pushing transparently false allegations," a report by Hindustan Times quoted her.