{"id":508287,"date":"2026-05-21T18:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.net\/en\/uncategorized\/russia-showcased-its-nuclear-triad-with-one-of-the-largest-exercises-in-years-and-sent-a-message-to-the-west-its-a-signal\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T18:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:27:30","slug":"russia-showcased-its-nuclear-triad-with-one-of-the-largest-exercises-in-years-and-sent-a-message-to-the-west-its-a-signal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/russia-showcased-its-nuclear-triad-with-one-of-the-largest-exercises-in-years-and-sent-a-message-to-the-west-its-a-signal\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia showcased its nuclear triad with one of the largest exercises in years and sent a message to the West: “It’s a signal”"},"content":{"rendered":"Trucks with intercontinental ballistic missiles<\/strong> traversed forest roads, nuclear-powered submarines<\/strong> set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews boarded their fighter jets this Thursday, in the final stage of one of the largest Russian strategic nuclear exercises in recent years<\/strong>, carried out jointly with its ally Belarus.\n\n\n

<\/a>An intercontinental ballistic missile Yars during the exercises of the Russian nuclear forces in Belarus, part of the three-day maneuvers that involved 64,000 troops and more than 200 missile launchers. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)Russian strategic missile launchers move through forest paths during the three-day nuclear exercises, <\/p>\n\n\nThe Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the maneuvers involved 64,000 personnel, more than 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships and 13 submarines<\/strong>, eight of them armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. The exercises focused on \u201cthe preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression\u201d.<\/strong>\n\nA Borei-class nuclear submarine sails during strategic exercises, one of the 13 submersibles that participated in the three-day maneuvers launched on Tuesday.\n\nA video released by the Defense Ministry showed strategic missile launchers advancing through forests, submarines and warships in maneuvers \u2014 including the frigate Admiral Gorshkov \u2014, Ilyushin Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft and MiG-31 fighters equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles.\n\n\n

<\/a>A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile during nuclear exercises, one of the most prominent images from the video released by the Ministry of Defense to showcase Moscow’s offensive capabilities. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)<\/p>\n\n\nThe images also show military personnel removing the protective cover from a Kinzhal before attaching it to the aircraft fuselage.\n\n\n

We recommend reading:Nicaragua’s link with Russia and China worries Washington<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warheads in Belarus and the Oreshnik system<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko inspected joint nuclear exercises in the Asipovichy district on Thursday, where he stated about the nuclear-capable Iskander missiles: “I dreamed of this machine a long time ago.” (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via Reuters)\n\n\u201cAs part of the nuclear forces exercise, **nuclear munitions were delivered to the storage facilities** of the missile brigade’s position area in the **Republic of Belarus**,\u201d the Ministry of Defense reported.\n\n\n

<\/a>Russian arsenals in Belarusian territory include\u00a0the Oreshnik missile system<\/strong>, the most recent Russian intermediate-range development with nuclear capability. The Belarusian president,\u00a0Alexander Lukashenko<\/strong>, inspected this Thursday the short-range ballistic missiles\u00a0Iskander\u00a0<\/strong>with nuclear capability in a military unit participating in the maneuvers.\u00a0\u201cI dreamed of this machine a long time ago\u201d<\/strong>, he declared.<\/p>\n\n\nLukashenko inspects a missile brigade in the Mogilev region, during a visit that sealed Belarus’s integration under the Russian nuclear umbrella established by Putin’s revised doctrine in 2024. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via Reuters)\n\nThe exercises involve the Strategic Missile Forces<\/strong>, the Northern and Pacific fleets<\/strong>, long-range aviation, and units from the Leningrad and Central military districts. A Russian warship at sea during the strategic nuclear exercises launched on Tuesday (Russian Defense Ministry\/Reuters) The frigate Admiral Gorshkov sails during the Russian nuclear exercises, one of the 73 surface ships mobilized in the joint strategic maneuvers with Belarus.\n\n\n

A \u201csignal\u201d for the West<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nRussian Navy personnel during strategic nuclear exercises, which involved 73 surface ships and 13 submarines, eight of them armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.\n\n\n

The Kremlin acknowledged that the maneuvers function as a message.<\/strong> Asked whether the exercises were a signal to Europe <\/strong>and NATO<\/strong>, presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov<\/strong> replied: \u201cAny exercise is part of military development, and any military exercise is a signal\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\nA pilot in the cockpit of a MiG-31 fighter during Russian nuclear exercises, a key aircraft for deployment because it is equipped to carry Kinzhal hypersonic missiles with nuclear capability.\n\nThroughout the conflict in Ukraine \u2014 which is entering its fifth year \u2014 President Vladimir Putin<\/strong> has repeatedly resorted to reminders of Russian nuclear power as a warning to the West not to deepen its military support for Kyiv. In 2024, Putin adopted a revised nuclear doctrine<\/strong> that establishes that any conventional attack against Russia backed by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack against the country. The doctrine appears to significantly lower the threshold for the possible use of the Russian nuclear arsenal<\/strong> and also placed Belarus under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella.<\/strong> Putin has said that Russia will retain control of the nuclear weapons deployed on Belarusian territory, but will allow its ally to select the targets in the event of a conflict.\n\n\n

The Context: Ukrainian Drones and Friction with NATO<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned this Thursday from Sweden that many countries in the Alliance are not contributing enough to military aid for Ukraine and proposed allocating 0.25% of each member’s GDP, an initiative that faces resistance.\n\nThe exercises coincide with an intensification of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory<\/strong>, including the suburbs of Moscow<\/strong>, where three people recently died and several buildings and industrial facilities were damaged. The attacks have undermined the Kremlin’s narrative that presented the war in Ukraine as a distant conflict and alien to the daily lives of Russian civilians.\n\nTension with European NATO countries also escalated this week<\/strong>. On Wednesday, the Kremlin called the statements of Lithuanian Chancellor Kestutis Budrys<\/strong>, who argued that the Alliance should demonstrate to Moscow its ability to penetrate the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad<\/strong>, which houses the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet and is heavily militarized, as “bordering on dementia.”\n\nIn parallel, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte<\/strong> warned this Thursday from the Swedish city of Helsingborg that many members of the Alliance are not contributing enough<\/strong> to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion.\n\n\n

You can also read:Nicaragua authorizes extradition and prisoner transfer agreements with Russia<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAid is not distributed equitably within NATO,\u201d<\/strong> Rutte said before a meeting of the Alliance’s foreign ministers, mentioning the efforts \u201cabove their weight\u201d of Sweden<\/strong>, along with Canada<\/strong>, Germany<\/strong>, Netherlands<\/strong>, Denmark <\/strong>and Norway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\nLast week, Rutte proposed that allies allocate 0.25% of their GDP to Ukraine<\/strong>, an initiative that could unlock tens of billions of dollars in additional aid, but which faces strong opposition from some key members. “The proposal will not have unanimity, so it will not work,” Rutte admitted, although he highlighted<\/a> that it served to “start the debate”.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trucks with intercontinental ballistic missiles traversed forest roads, nuclear-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews boarded their fighter jets this Thursday, in the final stage of one of the largest Russian strategic nuclear exercises in recent years, carried out jointly with its ally Belarus. An intercontinental ballistic missile Yars during the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-508287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-28eb","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","dum_api":{"author_name":"Yerandi Santana","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-13-at-5.35.07-PM-96x96.jpeg","categories_name":["Uncategorized"],"featured_media_url":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508287\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}