Putin and Lukashenko Monitor Major Russia-Belarus Nuclear Drills

TL;DR

Russia flexes nuclear muscles as tensions rise with NATO Putin and Lukashenko Monitor Major Joint Nuclear Drills Russia Unveils Yuan Bond Sale Plan After Putin Visit to China Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighboring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills MOSCOW -- Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighboring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills Thursday. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko inspected Russian short-range nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a military unit involved in the drills, declaring: “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago.” Russia's Defense Ministry said the exercise involved 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped ICBMs. The drills will focus on the “preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression,” it said.