President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw a comprehensive test of Russia’s nuclear forces, evaluating their preparedness and command structures on land, sea and in the air. The exercise included the launch of a ground-based “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile from a cosmodrome, a “Sineva” ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, and nuclear-capable cruise missiles from strategic bombers.
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A ballistic missile was fired from the Barents Sea by a tactical submarine cruiser. Russia regularly exercises its nuclear forces to test their capabilities and remind its adversaries that it has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal at a time of rising East-West tensions. “The exercise tested the level of preparedness of the military command and the practical skills of operational personnel in organizing the control of subordinate forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that a Russian drone attacked a kindergarten in Kharkiv city of Ukraine after a major attack that lasted overnight, killing one person and injuring seven others. Zelensky said in a post on X that all the children had been rescued and were now in shelters. Unfortunately, one person has died, my condolences to the bereaved family. Seven people have been injured and are undergoing treatment. He said preliminary reports indicated that many children showed symptoms of severe stress after the attack.
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The President said there is no justification for a drone attack on a kindergarten, nor can there ever be. Clearly, Russia is becoming more brazen. Zelensky described the attack as Russia’s spit in the face of all those pushing for a peaceful solution and said that “thugs and terrorists can only be put in their place by force.” The attack on the kindergarten came amid a string of Russian attacks overnight targeting several areas of Ukraine, including energy plants and residential areas.