In a military exercise overseen by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Russia's armed forces conducted a simulated nuclear strike, just hours after the country's upper house of parliament voted to annul Russia's ratification of the global Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The decision to terminate Russia's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, previously passed in the lower house, is now awaiting the final approval of President Putin. He has emphasized that this move is in alignment with the United States, which signed but did not ratify the treaty. The bill is currently in the hands of President Putin for his final approval.
(AP)
State television telecasted the exercise as President Putin, through a video call, oversaw and directed the military exercise.
Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Minister of Defence, stated that the exercises are intended to serve as a practice of “dealing a massive nuclear strike with strategic offensive forces in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy.”
(AP)
All nuclear explosions are banned globally under the 1996 Test Ban treaty, however, the pact was never completely put into effect. Apart from the United States, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, and Egypt have not yet ratified it.
There are rising concerns that Russia might choose to begin nuclear testing again in an effort to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine militarily. Numerous Russian hawks have voiced support for the tests to be resumed.
Although there are experts who believe that nuclear testing should be conducted, President Putin noted, still he has not yet made up his opinion on the matter.
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