The Russian army conducted extensive training with a nuclear attack simulation, including launching cruise missiles.
The massive exercise was said to be in response to a possible hostile nuclear attack on Russia, according to the Kremlin. But the timing and subsequent comments from the Department of Defense appear to have been carefully chosen.
The Russian Federation Council, the Federation Council of Parliament, agreed on Wednesday to withdraw Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The Duma House of Representatives agreed to delete that settlement last week.
Russia could thus be free to conduct nuclear test explosions, if it chose to interpret the resolution that way.
The exercise was launched shortly after the Federation Council approved the decision. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry and Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the Russian army would be trained for nuclear attacks.
The Russian Interfax news agency quoted Shoigu as saying that the Russian army “will respond to a large-scale nuclear attack through strategic offensive forces, in response to a hostile nuclear attack.”
In addition, Russian state television showed images of President Putin directing the launches via video link to the military personnel in charge.
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