Amid heightened tensions over Ukraine & Israel-Palestine conflict, Russia rehearses 'retaliatory nuclear strike'

MOSCOW: Amid heightened tensions over the Ukraine war and Israel's relentless and indiscriminate bombing of Gaza Strip of Palestine, Russia seemed to have reminded the world, especially the western powers, of what further escalations would result in.

On Wednesday (October 25), the Kremlin, in a statement, stated that Russia successfully tested its ability to deliver a massive "retaliatory nuclear strike" by land, sea and air.

The exercise, which involved the test launch of missiles from a land-based silo, a nuclear submarine, and from long-range bomber aircraft, comes as Moscow is locked in what it casts as an existential standoff with the West over Ukraine, Reuters reported.

It may be mentioned here that Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from a test site at a target in Russia's far east, a nuclear-powered submarine launched a ballistic missile from the Barents Sea, and Tu-95MS long-range bombers test-fired air-launched cruise missiles, the Kremlin statement said.

"In the course of the events, the level of preparedness of the military command authorities and the skills of the senior and operational staff in organising subordinate troops (forces) were tested," it said.