- Yars missiles are six times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Vladimir Putin has held nuclear war drills for the second time this month in his bid to raise Western fears among his population.
The Russian leader has ordered a display of atomic firepower by sending his massive Yars mobile missile launchers into the forests of the Volga River basin east of Moscow to practice triggering an intercontinental Armageddon.
The Yars missiles are made up of six small-class warheads, each with a yield of more than 100 kilotons, making them six times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Today, they are the main ground component of Russia’s strategic nuclear force. Kommersant newspaper reported that their systems, equipped with multiple warheads, can hit targets at a distance of up to 11,000 kilometres.
Meanwhile, Mach 25 missiles have a range of up to 7,500 miles, allowing for an attack on Europe and the United States.
Vladimir Putin has conducted nuclear war exercises with his Yars mobile missile launchers for the second time this month in a show of bravado toward the West.
The Yars missiles have a yield of more than 100 kilotons, making them six times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
This comes after Putin warned his financial watchdog that he has “no extra money” despite rising budget revenues.
Putin asks Accounts Chamber head Boris Kovalchuk to eliminate corrupt money flows
The Interfax news agency reported that crews of the missile launchers will travel more than 100 km to practice camouflage and deployment techniques. The systems can also be mounted on trucks or deployed in silos.
This comes after Putin, who has spent billions of dollars on a war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, warned the head of his financial watchdog that he has “no extra money” left in his coffers.
Although he claimed revenues were growing after raising Russian taxes and cutting services to civilians, the Kremlin autocrat complained that it was still not enough and demanded that Accounts Chamber head Boris Kovalchuk root out corrupt money flows.
“There is no extra money,” he said bluntly, an implicit admission that his costly war is hurting the Russian economy.
A Pentagon estimate suggests Putin’s war on Ukraine has cost the Russian taxpayer £163bn.
The RAND Corporation, an American think tank on global policy, has predicted spending of £102 billion on war this year alone.
“That’s why I’m counting on you to monitor financial discipline in the most careful way,” he told Kovalchuk, who is the son of one of the dictator’s closest friends, Yuri Kovalchuk, known as “Putin’s personal banker.”
Yars missiles are currently the main element of the ground component of Russia’s strategic nuclear force.
The Interfax news agency reported that missile launcher crews would move more than 100 kilometers to practice camouflage and deployment techniques.
Kovalchuk, pictured, is the son of one of the dictator’s closest friends, Yury Kovalchuk, known as “Putin’s personal banker.”
“There is certainly nothing criminal to be missed,” he added.
“We have a hotline for the most urgent cases, so don’t be shy, pick up the phone and call me.”
Speaking about combat training, the ministry said that “‘The events allow for improving the skills and interoperability of servicemen in the formations and military units of the Strategic Missile Forces.’
The latest drills come amid deep tensions in relations between Russia and NATO countries over Putin’s war on Ukraine.
They also come less than two months after Russia conducted tactical nuclear weapons deployment exercises in collaboration with Belarus.