Russia’s army has begun three days of nuclear weapons drills involving thousands of troops across the country, as Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks and President Vladimir Putin prepared to travel to China.
Throughout its offensive in Ukraine, which has lasted more than four years, Moscow has flaunted its possession of nuclear weapons and repeatedly threatened to use them. The drills come amid a series of comments from Putin promoting the strength of Russia’s atomic forces.
“From May 19 to 21, 2026, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are conducting an exercise on the preparation and use of nuclear forces in the event of a threat of aggression,” the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The exercise would involve more than 65,000 soldiers and 7,800 types of equipment and weapons, including more than 200 missile launchers, the ministry said. Aircraft, ships, submarines and nuclear submarines would all take part.
The ministry said it would also test-launch ballistic and cruise missiles. It added that the drills would “also address issues related to the joint training and use of nuclear weapons deployed on the territory of the Republic of Belarus”.
Belarus separately announced on May 18 that its own armed forces had begun nuclear weapons exercises with Russian support. Minsk has insisted the activities are not directed at third countries and do not threaten regional security.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed in 2023 to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons, the first such deployment outside Russian territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to international reports. Putin has made clear that Moscow retains control of their use.
The manoeuvres have followed the expiry in February of the New START treaty between Russia and the United States, the last bilateral cap on the two powers’ strategic nuclear arsenals. Its end formally released the world’s two largest nuclear powers from a range of restrictions.
Russia has vowed to take a “responsible” approach to its strategic nuclear capability. Putin has also said that developing those forces is an “absolute priority”, and Moscow this month tested a new long-range missile said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Russia has deployed a nuclear-capable missile, the Oreshnik, to neighbouring Belarus, which borders Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the EU.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has in recent days accused Moscow of preparing a fresh offensive from Belarus and ordered his troops to reinforce the country’s northern border.
The Kremlin has rejected any intention of attacking from Belarusian territory and accused Kyiv of stoking tension with such claims. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the assertions as an attempt to inflame the war, while calling Belarus a sovereign State allied to Russia. The Defence Ministry’s announcement came hours before Putin was due to land in China for a two-day visit.
