UPDATE 1-Russia shows troops moving nuclear warheads in major exercise

Russia on Wednesday ​showed what it said was ‌footage ​of troops delivering nuclear warheads to mobile Iskander-M launch systems, loading them and moving them ‌undetected to launch sites as part of a major nuclear exercise.

In a statement released to state media, the Defence Ministry said its forces had ‌practised bringing units to "the highest levels of combat readiness for the ‌use of nuclear weapons". The three-day exercise, which started on Tuesday and is taking place across Russia and Belarus, comes at a time when Moscow is locked ⁠in ​what it ⁠says is an existential struggle with the West over Ukraine and tensions with NATO ⁠and Europe over the war are running high.

The Defence Ministry said on ​Tuesday that the drills, which involve 64,000 military personnel, over 200 ⁠missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships and 13 submarines, would include rehearsing launch ⁠procedures ​for Russian tactical nuclear weapons based in Belarus. Video of the training element showed Russian nuclear forces moving in convoy through ⁠a heavily forested area, camouflaging their vehicles, and raising a launch tube into ⁠firing position.

With ⁠a range of up to 500 km (310 miles), the Iskander-M can carry both nuclear and conventional ‌warheads.

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