Russia to stage massive nuclear drills amid Ukraine standoff

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is planning massive drills of its strategic nuclear forces amid Western fears that Moscow might be preparing to invade Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry says the exercise on Saturday will involve multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. A Kremlin spokesman said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will observe the drills from the ministry’s situation room and personally oversee the practice launches. The ministry said it planned the maneuvers some time ago to check the readiness of Russia’s military command and personnel, as well as the reliability of its nuclear and conventional weapons. The Kremlin says Russia has notified foreign partners and the exercise shouldn’t cause worries in the West.