War in Ukraine: Russia deploys its nuclear power in Siberia and stops sharing missile information with the United States

As the war in Ukraine progresses, Russia’s vast nuclear arsenal begins to loom dangerously on the horizon. A crucial episode occurred this Wednesday in Siberia, where the Russian army has begun a series of military maneuvers, which include the deployment of nuclear-capable intercontinental missiles.

In a parallel but related story to this episode, a senior Russian official announced that Moscow it stopped sharing information about its nuclear forces with the United Statesafter the suspension of the only remaining nuclear weapons pact with Washington.

“There will be no notifications,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in statements reported by Russian news agencies when asked whether Moscow would also stop issuing notifications about planned missile tests.

“All notifications and treaty-related activities will be suspended and it will not take placeregardless of the position the United States might adopt,” concluded the diplomat.

The Russian Yars intercontinental missiles

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, military exercises to be carried out by the Armed Forces’ Strategic Missile Forces in Siberia include the deployment of Yars intercontinental missileswith nuclear capability.

The moves will include measures a hide the deployment of foreign satellites and other intelligence assets, the ministry said in a statement. As part of the exercises, mobile missile launchers Yars will maneuver in three regions of Siberia.

Yars missiles

“The command commission of these forces has initiated an inspection of the Omsk missile unit with exercises of the command posts of the Novosibirsk missile unit, equipped with Yars ballistic missiles,” the Russian military command said.

The “Yars” missiles, of which there are mobile and silo versions, have a range of up to 12,000 kilometres AND it can carry up to four nuclear warheads.

According to the Defense, these exercises, included in the Strategic Missile Forces preparation plan for 2023, “are attended by more than 3,000 soldiers and almost 300 combat machines”.

“The commission of the strategic missile forces command will verify the preparation of the military during the performance of the missions,” the military body added.

The Russian military command specified that “during the exercises it is expected to carry out maneuvers with the autonomous shuttles of the Yars systems, which will cover the territory of three regions” of Russia.

In addition, the missile units “will perform camouflage exercises to counter modern means of aerial reconnaissance, in interaction with units of the Central Military District and the Aerospace Forces” of Russia.

During the exercises, Defense added, particular attention will be devoted to the use of various types of drones.

Putin’s message

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday an agreement with Belarus for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons for which silos will be built, to be completed by next July.

THE tactical nuclear weapons They are designed for battlefield use and have a relatively short range and performance much less compared to long-range strategic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, capable of destroying entire cities.

Putin’s decision to plant tactical weapons in Belarus followed his repeated warnings that Moscow was ready to use “all available means”a reference to its nuclear arsenal, to defend against attacks on Russian soil.

Russian officials have issued a flurry of aggressive statements since their troops entered Ukraine, warning that continued Western support for Ukraine posed the threat of nuclear conflict.

In remarks released yesterday, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, chaired by Putin, warned the United States and its allies not to entertain hopes that Russia will be defeated in Ukraine.

Patrushev said that some American politicians believe that the United States could launch a preemptive missile strike against Russia to which Moscow could not respond, an alleged belief it described as “short-sighted stupidity, which is very dangerous”.

“Russia is patient and is not trying to scare anyone with its military superiority, but it has unique modern weapons capable of destroying any opponent, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existencea,” Patrushev said.

Source: EFE, AP and Telam