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| Thunder-2019 |
MOSCOW - Russia's Strategic Missile Forces have begun massive war training on Tuesday. The local Defense Ministry said the exercises would include 16 maneuvers approved by ballistic missiles and ballistic missiles, including the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) RS-24 Yars (SS-29).
The war game called "Thunder-2019" is scheduled to last three days and involves 12,000 troops, 213 missile launchers, 105 aircraft, 15 surface warships and five nuclear submarines.
"Among other things, issuing Yars (SS-29) intercontinental ballistic missiles and Sineva (SS-N-23) ballistic missiles will take place," said Acting Chief (Acting) Head of the Russian Military Ministry's Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Yevgeny Ilyin, in a briefing for foreign military attaches on Monday.
He said asking for trials to be carried out from air, land and sea.
Ilyin said the training was appropriate for a long time, purely defensive and potential for struggle. He assured foreign officials at the briefing that the exercise was not aimed at other countries.
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| Thunder-2019 |
Russia has trained its troops every October. Military think tank Russian Moscow-based International Affairs Council think tank Dmitry Stefanovich told CBS News about the exercises aimed at command exercises.
"What shows the difference this year now has a name, and the military announced earlier in a briefing for foreign military attaches," Stefanovich said.
"Added again this time there were additional missile launchers from the Strategic Missile Forces involved, a basic part of the nuclear triad. More than 200 (launchers). This is a complement to what they have," he said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first announced the "Thunder-2019" exercise in December last year, a compilation of reports to President Vladimir Putin about a request to modernize the nuclear power plant that had been carried out.
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| Russian Military |
Pro-Kremlin media reported later as "Thunder-2019" in Russia's response to the Liked exercise in the United States (US) which was named "Global Thunder".
INF posture?
Stefanovich Trust Donald Trump this year to withdraw the US from the Mid-Term Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement.
"According to the training script, there is an increase along the border, and it can be allocated to short and medium-range missiles.
Last week, Putin announced Russia would begin developing short and medium range missiles in response to US plans to deploy such weapons in Asia. The approved missile was a missile issued during several rounds under the INF Agreement.
Russia officially entered the INF Agreement shortly after the US officially left the agreement. Washington accuses Moscow of making a new decision.
