UPDATES WITH FRESH STATEMENT FROM RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it had conducted training launches during exercises of non-strategic nuclear forces.
"In the second stage of the non-strategic nuclear forces exercises, personnel from the missile compound of the Leningrad Military District executed combat training tasks, including covertly advancing to designated positional areas and performing electronic missile launches against simulated opponent targets," the ministry said.
Additionally, naval forces conducted patrol missions in designated areas during sea exercises.
The servicemen also practiced tasks involving the acquisition of special training ammunition for equipping both sea- and land-based launch vehicles.
In a separate statement issued later in the day, the ministry said the military drill continued with a joint training of Belarusian combat units and Russian nuclear support units.
Russian and Belarusian servicemen coordinated the preparation and delivery of missiles using specialized equipment, and the suspension of aviation weapons for carrier aircraft, it said.
The exercises will conclude with a comprehensive evaluation of each training scenario, identifying areas for further improvement to enhance the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces for various potential military-political developments, the ministry said.
On Tuesday, Russian and Belarusian forces started the second stage of joint non-strategic nuclear exercises focused on training the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons in combat scenarios.