The U.S. has been warned by russia about strategic nuclear force exercises that will take place before the end of the year

The United States says Russia has notified the Department of Defense and the State Department of plans to conduct a strategic nuclear force exercise.

Here's What We Know

The U.S. warning of preparations for nuclear exercises is part of its arms control obligations. Otherwise a missile launch could be mistaken for a nuclear attack. Although last time Russia "forgot" to warn about them and nothing happened.

The Russian exercise is called "Thunder". It already took place in 2022 and ended a few days before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 19. A new exercise should take place before the end of the year, but there are no dates yet. NATO reported a few weeks ago on the preparations of the exercises and said it would closely monitor them.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, this time Russia will focus on launching intercontinental ballistic missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead. Specifically, the Topol-M. The oldest missile models are involved in such tests. In case of a successful launch, their service life is extended. If the missile fails, the military launches newer samples.

Source: PBS NewsHour