Putin to oversee nuclear war drills

Russian President Vladimir Putin will take direct command of scheduled ballistic missile training on Saturday, which will see the country’s military test its nuclear capabilities, Moscow has confirmed.   

Officials released a statement on Friday, writing, “on February 19, under the supervision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, a planned exercise of the forces of strategic deterrence will take place, during which ballistic and cruise missiles will be launched.”   

Russia has been carrying out large-scale military exercises this past week, including joint drills in neighbouring Belarus, near the border with Ukraine. Western leaders have claimed that the exercises could be preparation for the invasion of Ukraine that US sources have been warning about for months. Moscow has repeatedly denied that it has any aggressive intentions, and has insisted that it is simply carrying out scheduled drills and that its forces will return home when they are finished.   

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden said that he expected Russia to attack Ukraine in the next several days. 
Russia, (rt.com) 18 February, 2022