Russian Strategic Missile Forces' Drills Not Targeting Any Nation - Defense Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2019) The Russian Strategic Missile Forces' upcoming drills Grom (Thunder) 2019 are not targeted against any nation and are exclusively defensive by nature, the acting head of the Defense Ministry's Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Maj. Gen. Yevgeny Ilyin said on Monday.

The large-scale exercise will be held from October 15-17. Sixteen launches of cruise and ballistic missiles, including Bulava and Sineva, will be conducted during the drills.

"The strategic command post exercise Grom 2019 aims at working on training and use of strategic forces in the conditions of aggression threat .

.. I would like to emphasize that the scenario of the exercise does not envision countering any specific nation or group of countries," Ilyin said at a briefing for foreign attaches.

He pointed at the planned and defensive nature of the drills, aimed at teaching servicemen to repel possible attacks, at practicing new ways to use military equipment, and at improving management and cooperation while performing tasks.

Ilyin also stressed that Russia was not obligated to provide information about such drills, and the decision to reveal the information was solely voluntary.