Russia has announced its plan to begin practicing launches of its Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system this week amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.
In a Telegram post, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, “In the Strategic Missile Forces, a planned command and staff exercise with the Novosibirsk missile formation began.”
The translated post goes on, “During the exercise, it is planned to work out maneuvering actions by autonomous launch PGRK Yars, which will cover the territories of three regions. Also, strategic missilemen will carry out a set of measures to camouflage and counter modern aerial reconnaissance means in cooperation with formations and units of the Central Military District and the Aerospace Forces.”
The ministry’s statement follows President Vladimir Putin’s announcement this month of plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which has been a Russian ally since the Ukraine conflict began 13 months ago.
“We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews,” Putin said, according to the Associated Press. “We are going to do the same thing.”
As the war has continued, the U.S. and other Western nations have supplied Ukraine with significant amounts of military assistance, including long-range missiles, artillery, tanks and drones, which has allowed the country to resist Russia’s forces since the February 2022 invasion. But Putin has said that Western support for Ukraine is “futile” and that the West cannot sustain weapons provisions to the country.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defense Project, the RS-24 Yars “is a three-stage solid fuel missile that carries a payload of three reentry vehicles and penetration aids.”
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-practicing-launches-yars-intercontinental-ballistic-missiles-1791284