In a wide-ranging military drill last year Vladimir Putin watched as Russia tested its triple-threat nuclear arsenal - showing off the countrys might from ground to sky
The exercise (which stretched across Russias vast territory) tested missiles that could fly thousands of miles: some launched from hidden spots in north-west Russia others came from deep under the sea. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov explained to Putin that they were practicing how to hit back if someone attacked first
During this time tensions were high because of the almost 3-year-old conflict in Ukraine; Russia had been warning western countries not to give Kyiv longer-range weapons that could reach deep into Russian territory
Our goal is to practice delivering a massive nuclear strike as response to enemy attack
The test included:
* Yars missile from Plesetsk to far-east Kamchatka
* Sineva and Bulava shots from submarines
* Cruise missiles from special planes
Putin spoke about new mobile missile systems that could beat defense shields‚ but said Russia doesnt want an arms race. Still‚ he changed nuclear-use rules about a year ago making it easier to use these weapons if Russia gets attacked with help from other nuclear states
Russia owns the worlds biggest nuclear arsenal - together with US they control most of earths nuclear weapons. Even though US officials havent seen changes in Russias nuclear setup during the Ukraine situation they were worried enough to warn Moscow about using such weapons last year