Watch as reckless Putin stages chilling Yars nuke missile drills as top Russian diplomat warns US is ‘playing with fire’
PUTIN has flexed his military muscle by showing off a chilling Yars nuke missile in staged drills.
The warmonger has boasted his nuke arsenal amid high tensions with the West as his top diplomat accused US of "playing with fire".
Russia's Ministry of Defence revealed the footage of the combat training that took place in Yoshkar-Ola, western Russia.
The missile units can be seen manoeuvring along the roads deep in the Russian taiga.
Convoys of bulky ground-based mobile missile systems were paraded through unknown patrol routes in a show of force.
During the drill, the military personnel played out multiple combat scenarios including camouflage and protection of the deadly rocket, and fighting "sabotage groups".
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Members of the Strategic Missile Forces practised changing the positions of autonomous launchers day and night.
The staged drill comes amid fears that the tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine would spill over.
Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has today blasted the US for escalating the situation towards "a dramatic crisis".
He told TASS: "We warn that they are playing with fire. They have long been in a state of indirect war with the Russian Federation.
"They somehow fail to realise that, in order to satisfy their own geopolitical ideas, they are approaching a phase in which it will be very difficult to control what is happening and to prevent a dramatic crisis."
Putin has ramped up combat drills after the West criticised him for waging an unprovoked war following his brutal ground offensive in Kharkiv.
The despot blasted modern military spy satellites into orbit in a bid to boost Russia's capabilities in the war.
Putin might be at the disadvantage compared to Kyiv, which has Western satellites helping it with intelligence and targeting.
The top-secret payload was launched atop Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the north of the country today.
A striking white trail resembling a jellyfish with long tentacles was spotted in the sky from several regions of Russia.
What is the RS-24 Yars missile?
THE RS-24 Yars is a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Russia.
It has a range of up to 7,500 miles and can carry up to four independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) or a single large-yield thermonuclear warhead.
The missile can be launched from silos or mobile launchers, which makes it harder to detect and target.
The RS-24 Yars is a highly accurate missile with a circular error probable (CEP) of less than 150 meters, meaning it can hit targets with great precision.
It also has advanced countermeasures and can penetrate missile defense systems.
The RS-24 Yars is an improvement over its predecessor, the Topol-M missile, and is designed to replace it in the Russian military's strategic missile forces.
It is considered one of the most advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world and is a key component of Russia's nuclear deterrent.
Yars missiles are currently the main element of the ground component of the Russian strategic nuclear forces.
The mach-25 rockets have a range of 7,500 miles, meaning they are capable of striking both Europe and the US.
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They can carry multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads and can be mounted on truck carriers or deployed in silos.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “On May 17, 2024, the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with space satellites on board was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region) for the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense.”