Putin orders strategic nuclear training exercise

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a new strategic nuclear training exercise on Tuesday, saying that top officials would review the control of nuclear ballistic and cruise missile launches.

“Today we are conducting another exercise of strategic deterrence forces,” Putin was shown saying in a video clip released by the Kremlin.

“We will work out the actions of officials to control the use of nuclear weapons with practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles,” Putin said.

Putin said Russia would not take part in any arms race but that Moscow needed to have its nuclear forces ready for use.

(Reporting by Dasha Korsunskaya; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)