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Russia plans pre-election war games this month
Moscow, Feb 03: A Russian official said Moscow was planning military exercises this month, but declined comment on a newspaper report that it was about to undertake its biggest nuclear missile manoeuvres since 1982.
Moscow, Feb 03: A Russian official said Moscow was planning military exercises this month, but declined comment on a newspaper report that it was about to undertake its biggest nuclear missile manoeuvres since 1982.
The war games, which the Kommersant newspaper yesterday said would be a simulation of a nuclear conflict, will take place weeks before Vladimir Putin seeks re-election as Russia's president.
A defence ministry spokesman said military exercises were planned for this month but gave no details. He declined to say if Putin, who is widely expected to be re-elected in the March 14 poll, would play a role as Russia's commander-in-chief.
Kommersant said the one-day exercises would involve test-firing several ballistic missiles and deploying almost all Russia's strategic bombers.
The paper said bombers would carry out mock cruise-missile launches over the North Atlantic and a submarine in the Barents Sea would fire a ballistic missile at a test range in Russia. It said the United States had been informed of the plans.
Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia's strategic missile troops, told Interfax news agency Russia intended to test-fire 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2004.
It also planned to finish testing its Topol-M missile mounted on a mobile launcher, which he said would significantly increase the country's strategic missile capability.
Bureau Report
A defence ministry spokesman said military exercises were planned for this month but gave no details. He declined to say if Putin, who is widely expected to be re-elected in the March 14 poll, would play a role as Russia's commander-in-chief.
Kommersant said the one-day exercises would involve test-firing several ballistic missiles and deploying almost all Russia's strategic bombers.
The paper said bombers would carry out mock cruise-missile launches over the North Atlantic and a submarine in the Barents Sea would fire a ballistic missile at a test range in Russia. It said the United States had been informed of the plans.
Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia's strategic missile troops, told Interfax news agency Russia intended to test-fire 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2004.
It also planned to finish testing its Topol-M missile mounted on a mobile launcher, which he said would significantly increase the country's strategic missile capability.
Bureau Report