Kremlin confirms advance planning for nuclear forces training drills

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that the recent exercises of Russia's strategic nuclear forces were scheduled in advance, and relevant notifications were sent to other countries. 

"This is indeed one of the regular exercises. There is, of course, a specific mechanism for notifying the relevant countries about such exercises," Peskov said during a briefing, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a training exercise for strategic deterrent forces that 94 per cent of Russia's nuclear forces consist of modern weaponry. "Our strategic nuclear forces provided with modern armaments by approximately 94 per cent in 2024," he added. 

The Russian leader emphasised that the use of nuclear weapons is a last resort for ensuring the country's security and highlighted that Russia does not intend to engage in an arms race. 

President Putin previously expressed hope that Western countries would heed his warnings about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike Russia.

By Naila Huseynova