Russia Tests Its Yars Nuclear Missile Systems after Biden Announcement

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on June 1 that it was conducting testing of its Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems northeast of Moscow, shortly after President Biden made a statement confirming the U.S. would be sending advanced rocket systems and munitions to Ukraine. The Yars system is being tested on truck-mounted mobile launchers, which are much more difficult to detect than stationary ones. The drills involve around 1,000 personnel and 100 vehicles. The exercises entailed setting up missile systems in their field positions, changing field positions, and organizing combat security and camouflage. While the new missile systems provided to Ukraine by the U.S. have a range of 48 miles, the Yars system has a range of over 6,800 miles.