Russian forces begin 3rd stage of non-strategic nuclear drills

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The Russian military on Wednesday commenced the third phase of exercises, focusing on the training for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement that personnel from the Central and Southern Military Districts, as well as the Aerospace Forces, are participating in the drill.

The military drill is aimed to enhance the troops' skills in preparing non-strategic nuclear weapons for potential combat scenarios, it said.

"As part of this phase, missile units from the Southern and Central Military Districts will practice combat training tasks, including receiving specialized training ammunition for the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems.

“The drills involve equipping these systems with launch vehicles and moving covertly to designated positions to prepare for electronic launches," the statement read.

During previous stages of the joint military drills, conducted last month in Russia's Southern Military District, Russian and Belarusian forces trained on the complete process of handling specialized ammunition for the Iskander tactical missile system, from preparation to executing simulated strikes