Russia escalates nuclear rehearsal with RS‑24 Yars in Ivanovo region
The Russian Ministry of Defence reports the commencement of combat manoeuvres involving mobile RS-24 Yars nuclear missile launchers. These operations have been rehearsed several times over the past few months. The most recent training with this system occurred in July 2024.
The Russian Federation army will use the RS-24 Yars missile launchers for tasks that include “marches over distances of 100 kilometres, dispersal of units with position changes, and setting up engineering equipment along with organising camouflage.” The combat exercises will occur in the Ivanovo region, near Moscow, northeast of the Russian capital.
Russia practices with nuclear missiles
According to the Russians, the announced actions will also include exercises aimed at combating saboteur groups. These exercises are taking place shortly after the Russian Federation announced in July 2024 that it intends to conduct increasingly exercises involving mobile nuclear missile launchers Yars. The upcoming exercises will be similar in tasks to those conducted in July this year.
The Yars launchers are part of Russia’s unique nuclear strategy, which relies on the so-called nuclear triad. This means that Putin’s nuclear arsenal allows for the launching of nuclear missiles from land, sea, and air. Currently, only a few world powers—including the USA, China, India, and the Russian Federation—possess a complete nuclear triad.
RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles
The mentioned RS-24 ballistic missiles have a relatively short history. They were first launched in May 2007, and they were put into service three years later, in 2010. The Russian Federation plans to use them until 2050.
The RS-24 Yars is a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with solid fuel capable of carrying up to six independent nuclear warheads (MIRV) with up to 300 kilotons each. The missile’s range is 11,000 kilometres, which means it can reach nearly any place on Earth. The Yars launchers are transported by MZKT-79221 vehicles, which can reach speeds up to 45 kilometres per hour and can travel 500 kilometres on a single journey.
Focusing on the RS-24 Yars missiles, their length is approximately 18 metres, and with the warhead, 23 metres. The diameter of these intercontinental missiles, which have a launch mass of 46,000 kilograms, is about 1.9 metres. A combination of inertial guidance and the GLONASS system ensures the missile's accuracy. The accuracy, measured in CEP, is 250 metres.
