Russia to launch drills of Yars ICBM systems

On March 29, the Russian defense minsitry announced that strategic military training has begun with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system, boasting a stated range of 11,000 kilometers.

It is reported that training has begun at the Novosibirsk Missile Unit.

The ministry claims that more than 3,000 Russian service members and about 300 pieces of equipment were involved in the exercise.

The Russian forces allegedly plan to practice the execution of maneuvers with the Yars self-propelled transporter erector launcher (TEL).

Yars, or RS-24, is a strategic solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile system. It was adopted by the Russian Federation in 2009.

The missile’s flight speed is allegedly up to 14 Mach, and its explosive power is equivalent to a million tons of TNT. Unlike the technically similar Topol ICBM system, the Yars is able to be equipped with multiple independently targetable warheads (MIRVs)

Russian propagandists claim that no air defense system is capable of shooting the missiles down, which are each capable of completely destroying a small city.

CNN reported on March 28 that the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it will increase its ammunition production by "seven to eight times" by the end of the year.

According to CNN, Russian President Vladimir Putin also claimed in a March 25 interview on Russian state television that the country would soon be producing “three times as much” ammunition as what the West is currently providing to Ukraine.

How likely is Putin to nuke Ukraine?

When Russia’s Vladimir Putin is in trouble, he threatens to start a global nuclear holocaust. The Russian president has a long history of nuclear brinksmanship, always implicit in his rhetoric yet never manifesting in reality. And now, as his war of conquest in Ukraine is failing, Putin is again

Kyiv IndependentIllia Ponomarenko