The large-scale exercise coincides with President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing road-mobile missile launchers taking part in this week's large-scale nuclear exercise. The drills, conducted jointly with Belarus, coincide with President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China.

As both events were scheduled well in advance, military observers have suggested that the timing was intentional and meant to signal to NATO that Russia's nuclear deterrent could not be disabled by a decapitating strike similar to the one carried out by the US and Israel against Iran at the start of their bombing campaign in late February.

The footage published on Wednesday shows a military convoy escorted by attack helicopters moving into a wooded rural area before preparing to launch a cruise missile from an Iskander-M system. The weapons platform is part of the nuclear-sharing arrangement that Russia and Belarus introduced in 2023 amid the standoff with the West over NATO's plans to admit Ukraine into the bloc.

In its announcement on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said the troops are training to use nuclear weapons "in the conditions of aggression," adding that all three components of Russia's nuclear triad are involved in the exercise. The maneuvers include 64,000 Russian troops, 7,800 military vehicles, 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 warships, and 13 submarines, including eight strategic missile carriers.

Putin typically oversees major military drills personally in his role as commander-in-chief. This week, however, he traveled to China to formally extend a key partnership treaty and discuss major bilateral and international issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Russia's military doctrine outlines specific conditions under which nuclear weapons can be used, framing them as a last-resort response to threats endangering the country's statehood. Since Soviet times, Moscow has maintained a highly automated communications system designed to ensure retaliation in the event of a massive nuclear attack. The system is officially known as Perimeter and has been nicknamed 'Dead Hand' by the media.