Nuclear weapons exercise from Russia: Third phase has begun

In a statement from the ministry, it was noted that the third phase of the exercise for non-strategic nuclear forces has begun by the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and stated, "During the exercise, units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will work on issues related to the preparation for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons."

The statement reported that as part of this phase of the exercise, personnel from missile units in the Southern and Central military districts will carry out combat training tasks, including the procurement of special training ammunition for Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems, equipping launch vehicles with them, and covertly advancing to designated positions to prepare for electronic launches.

The statement, which indicated that personnel from the air and space forces participating in the exercise will conduct sorties with aircraft equipped with special combat weapons in designated patrol areas, used the following expressions: "The ongoing phase of the exercise aims to ensure the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat use of Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons to carry out combat missions."

The statement recalled that previously, as part of the first and second phases of the non-strategic nuclear forces exercise, units from the Southern and Leningrad military districts, as well as units from the Aerospace Forces and the Navy, had worked on issues related to the preparation for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.