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yesterday

Putin Oversees Strategic Nuclear Drills as Trump Puts Budapest Meeting on Hold

Kremlin officials cast the maneuvers as a preplanned test of nuclear command procedures.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - OCTOBER 17: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during his speech at a concert marking the 20th Anniversary of RT Channel at Bolshoi Theater on October 17, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. The event marked the 20th anniversary of RT, the Russian state-controlled television network previously known as Russia Today. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects a military exercise of the country's nuclear forces on land, sea and air to test their readiness and command structure, via a video link from Moscow, Russia, October 22, 2025.
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Overview

  • Russia exercised all legs of its nuclear triad on Wednesday, including a Yars ICBM launch from Plesetsk and a Sineva missile fired by a submarine in the Barents Sea.
  • Tu-95 strategic bombers conducted long-range cruise missile launches as part of the drills, according to the Kremlin.
  • Gen. Valery Gerasimov told Putin the exercise simulated procedures for authorizing the use of nuclear weapons.
  • The Kremlin said the event assessed the readiness of military command structures and reported that all tasks were completed.
  • President Donald Trump said Tuesday he paused a planned Budapest meeting with Putin to avoid a "waste of time," and AP reported the decision followed a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the Kremlin stressing thorough preparation for any summit.