Putin oversees ICBM, cruise missile tests in strategic nuclear drill
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Russia holds a strategic nuclear forces exercise under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, featuring ICBM, cruise missile, and submarine-launched ballistic missile tests.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts a strategic nuclear forces exercise via videoconference from the Presidential Situation Center at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw scheduled strategic nuclear forces drills on Wednesday, which included the successful launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and air-launched cruise missiles, the Kremlin confirmed.
According to the Kremlin’s statement, the drills involved practical missile launches and tested the readiness of the Strategic Russian Forces across all components: land, air, and sea.
“During the drills, practical launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles were carried out,” the Kremlin stated.
A Yars ICBM was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region and hit its target at the Kura missile test range in Kamchatka, a distance of over 5,000km. The launches were supervised by the Russian National Defense Control Center.
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Putin was briefed on the drills during a meeting with the General Staff earlier in the day. Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported that all planned tasks had been successfully completed.
The exercise was described by Russia's president as a routine part of maintaining the country’s strategic deterrence capabilities and enhancing the operational command structure of the Russian Strategic Forces.
Gerasimov also reported to Putin that "practical operations will be carried out by the Yars mobile ground-based missile system from the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome, the Bryansk strategic missile submarine of the Northern Fleet from the Barents Sea, and the Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers."
TU-95MS aircraft and submarine join drills
Indeed, as part of the exercise, TU-95MS strategic bombers launched air-launched cruise missiles. Meanwhile, the Sineva ballistic missile was fired from the Bryansk strategic nuclear missile submarine stationed in the Barents Sea.
The Kremlin noted that these operations confirmed the strategic readiness of Russia’s nuclear triad and provided an opportunity to assess the coordination between various branches of the armed forces.
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