Russia began the largest exercise of strategic nuclear forces in history

The Ministry of Defense on Tuesday announced the start of exercises “on the preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression.” Judging by the figures Russia has announced, these exercises are larger than the 2019 exercises, which were called the largest in post-Soviet history.
Details. According to the Ministry of Defense, the exercises will last three days - from May 19 to 21. Launches of ballistic and cruise missiles are planned at test sites in Russia.

• ️ The exercises will involve the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, the Long-Range Aviation Command, and the forces of the Leningrad and Central Military Districts. In total, according to the Ministry of Defense, the exercises will involve more than 64 thousand military personnel, over 7.8 thousand units of weapons, military and special equipment, including more than 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 ships and 13 submarines.
• ️ On Monday, training of military units for the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support began in Belarus. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, during the exercises the joint preparation and use of nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus will be practiced.

How nuclear forces exercises took place in past years

2025 . The last time the Russian military practiced the use of nuclear weapons was at the end of October last year as part of a one-day training of strategic nuclear forces (held annually in October). During the training, the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the Sineva ballistic missile from the Bryansk submarine in the Barents Sea, and the Burevestnik missile from the Tu-95 bomber.

• ️ A month before this, the joint Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises “West-2025” took place . They lasted four days - from September 12 to 16. According to Putin, 100 thousand military personnel and about 10 thousand weapons systems, 333 aircraft, 247 ships took part in the exercises. During the training, the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons and the deployment of Oreshnik missile systems were practiced . There were no reports of practicing the use of strategic nuclear weapons during the exercises.

2024 . A one-day training session of strategic nuclear forces at the end of October involved two submarines, Tu-95 aircraft, and a Yars launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

• ️ In May, June, July and August, exercises of non-strategic nuclear forces took place in three stages. They lasted for at least seven days ( May 21 , June 11 to 13 , and July 31 to August 2 ). Along with the Russian military, the Belarusian army took part in the exercises. The exact number of military personnel and equipment involved in the training was not reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the participation of aviation that launched the Kinzhal, Iskander-M missile systems and Navy ships that completed cruise missile launches.

2023, 2022 , 2020 . Russia conducted four one-day training exercises for strategic nuclear forces in December 2020, February and October 2022, and October 2023. In December 2020, one submarine, Tu-160 and Tu-95MS aircraft took part , and the Yars launch was also practiced. In October 2022 and October 2023, one submarine and Tu-95 aircraft took part, and Yars was also launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The training in February 2022, a few days before the invasion of Ukraine, involved the forces and assets of the Aerospace Forces, Southern Military District, Strategic Missile Forces, Northern and Black Sea Fleets.

2021 Russia has not conducted such exercises.

2019 . In October 2019, three-day exercises of strategic nuclear forces “Grom-2019” took place. About 12 thousand military personnel, 213 launchers of the Strategic Missile Forces, 105 aircraft, including five strategic missile carriers, 15 surface ships and five nuclear submarines, as well as 310 units of military and special equipment took part in them. The Grom-2019 exercises became the largest in the post-Soviet history of Russia, wrote Profile magazine. Izvestia wrote that “the Grom-2019 exercises were marked by the largest launches of ballistic and cruise missiles in the entire post-Soviet history.”